Dealing With Your Divorce Lawyer: Common Mistakes

If you are going through a split, one of the wisest things you can do is hire a divorce lawyer. This is true whether or not the split is highly contentious or not. You can hire an attorney who specializes in amicable breakups who won't try to add in aggression where it isn't wanted. Of course, in many cases, the split isn't quite so friendly. In those cases, you need someone who is ready to fight for what you want. Of course, an attorney can only do his job to his best ability when you get out of his way. So often, clients make mistakes that make their own case more difficult than it needs to be. Here are some of those mistakes that you should make it a point to avoid.

Being Closed-Minded

So many clients meet with a divorce lawyer and let their emotions take control. They claim that they won't sleep until they know that their spouse won't get a dime of their money (even if all of that money winds up going to their attorney instead). It's a mistake to go into proceedings like this with an inflexible attitude. The dissolution of a marriage is no time to try and take revenge with the help of the court system. Not only could it wind up backfiring, but you are probably making things more difficult than necessary. The best attitude is to try and get through it with as few scars as possible.

Letting Someone Else Sit In

Sometimes, a client will decide that their new significant other should accompany them to their meetings with a divorce lawyer. While this is entirely up to you, it can be a huge mistake. One of the best things about meeting with an attorney is the confidential privilege that exists. This is undermined when you bring someone else into the equation. They are under no such legal restriction to keep the revelations of the meeting a secret. Should they be deposed, their loyalty may lie to the court, rather than you. It's best that they stay in the lobby.

Trusting Friends Over Your Attorney

People love to give legal advice, especially if they've been through a similar situation. Never do this! Make sure you do that! You'll hear it all when your friends realize that their experiences could come in handy. While these friends likely mean well, their limited experience can hardly match that possessed by your divorce lawyer. While there's nothing wrong with listening to what they have to say, you could be making a mistake if you trust their advice over that of your attorney.