Divorce Lawyer Helping You through Your Divorce

When you and your spouse are no longer happy together, a competent divorce lawyer can help you get through the many complicated issues involved in ending the marriage. Making the decision to dissolve your marriage is stressful and difficult. You and your spouse were happy together at one time, and you may wish you could find a way to feel that happiness again. Unfortunately, this is not always possible and a divorce is the only solution. When you choose to legally end your marriage, there are many issues to resolve. These issues become even more complex when you have children. 

Some couples are able to reach agreements very easily, and the marriage can be dissolved as quickly as possible. Your divorce lawyer can work with you and your spouse to establish reasonable terms for separation with little or no fighting. Sadly, this is not as common as messy divorces are. In many cases, the separating couple cannot agree on anything and that is part of the reason for the separation. Legal proceedings are more complicated, sometimes even requiring a court trial to resolve all of the issues.

When there are children involved, the most important concerns are child custody and child support. Your divorce lawyer can help you establish justified reasons why you should have child custody. If you are not awarded custody, your attorney will still help make sure that the court orders the proper amount of child support for you to pay. There are many factors that the court considers when deciding which parent will have custody of the child or children. The ultimate goal is to determine what is in the child's best interests. The court may consider the child's wishes and physical and emotional needs, as well as the stability of both parents' homes. There is no specific list of factors that the court may consider, but some factors are more commonly considered than others. Any involvement in criminal activity or drug usage can severely hurt your chances of receiving custody.

When you do not receive custody, you will usually have to pay child support to the custodial parent. Your divorce lawyer can guide you through the calculations used to determine the amount of support you will have to pay. The laws are different in each state for calculating support amounts, so your attorney's knowledge of the law in your state is critical. The support amount is most often based on your monthly income, so changing jobs or losing your job may have an effect on the amount.
 
Your divorce lawyer will also help ensure that all the property, liabilities and assets of your marriage are divided fairly. The property you acquired during the marriage is distinguished from the property you had prior to the marriage. The value of the community property must be determined in order to fairly divide it between you and your spouse. Your attorney may ask for formal documentary discovery or even retain financial experts to determine the value of the property. 

The divorce process is often lengthy and complicated. There are many issues that must be resolved, and you can make sure you are treated fairly by having a well-qualified divorce attorney on your side. Whether the separation is agreed upon or not, your attorney will provide the best possible guidance through the court proceedings.