A lot of people try to handle their divorces on their own without the assistance of an attorney. While you might think that that’ll save you money, it could actually put you at risk of losing valuable assets, custody or visitation with your child, and even your future financial stability. This is especially true if you and your spouse aren’t going to be able to resolve your differences amicably. But if you’re still on the fence about whether you need an attorney to help you with your divorce, then we’d like you to consider the following.
Divorce attorneys know how to develop legal strategies
You need some kind of strategy heading into your divorce. When it comes to property division, you need to know how to gain leverage over your spouse, which means conducting a careful analysis of his or her wants and needs, as well as your own, well beforehand. With child custody, you need to know how the court is going to assess its determination and gather evidence that speaks to those factors. You’ll also need to know how to defend yourself against allegations your spouse levies against you, whether that’s a history of substance abuse, domestic violence, manipulation, extra marital affairs, or hiding assets.
Divorce attorneys aren’t afraid to fight for you
We understand that not everyone has the personality or desire to engage in conflict. In fact, many people will go out of their way to avoid confrontation, even if that means acting to their detriment. Those who fall into this category can take comfort knowing that their attorney will do the hard work for them. Even those who aren’t afraid of confrontation can benefit from an attorney’s ability to argue because far too often spouse’s arguments are based on emotion rather than the law. An attorney can help these individuals streamline their arguments so that they are clearer and more persuasive.
Divorce attorneys can give you perspective
While caught up in the emotions of divorce, some people struggle to see how certain actions will affect them in the long-term. An experienced divorce attorney knows how to protect an individual’s short- and long-term interests, and therefore and provide some perspective that otherwise might get lost in the mix.
These are just a few ways that an attorney might be able to help you with your divorce. Although you technically can handle your divorce on your own, the truth of the matter is that there’s too much as stake to risk going at it alone.
