Do Not Go Through Divorce Without a Lawyer

Divorce is never easy, and when children and assets are involved it can become downright nasty. This is why it is vital to have a lawyer from the beginning of the process instead of hiring one to try to undo the damage that has already been inflicted. Ideally when you get divorced you want to be able to move on with your life in a productive manner without being hung up in the past or stuck dealing with an angry former spouse who can't move past their own anger towards the end of the marriage. If you have children, you still have to be able to co-parent, which can be difficult even under the best circumstances, but can become almost impossible if you are still caught up in a battle years after the divorce itself.

Part of your divorce, if you have children, will be to settle child custody and visitation arrangements. It's unfortunate that at the time when you and your ex-spouse are at the most hostile towards each other you have to arrange long-term plans that are accommodating not only for both of you but in the best interest of your children as well. This is yet another reason to have a lawyer negotiating for you without the emotional entanglement that you and your soon to be former spouse are still experiencing.

Did you know that the child visitation and support that you and your ex-spouse agree on during your divorce can be extremely hard to change even if your circumstances change down the road? Most people are unaware of exactly how ironclad a child custody arrangement is in the long-term. Your lawyer on the other hand is well versed and familiar with how your circumstances can change and will work to ensure that you have the most flexible child custody arrangement possible in place when you get divorced so that when things do change down the road you won't be stuck striving to meet obligations of an outdated arrangement.

The final aspect of getting divorced is the settlement of assets. This can be an area where couples will take out their anger and frustration over the failed relationship with the marital assets. The war of the roses was not just a movie, for many couples it is all too real. This is another important reason to have a lawyer negotiating a fair settlement on your behalf in order to take out any potential for any reenactment of the war of the roses.

Don't attempt to negotiate a divorce settlement without legal representation, even if you feel your divorce will be civil. Many divorces start out civilly and as they progress through what can become a lengthy legal process, they can change to become less civil and more hostile, leaving one or both people feeling frustrated and confused.

If you and your soon to be former spouse feel you can handle your divorce in a civil manner you may want to explore having one lawyer work for both of you, but don't pursue the process alone.