Don’t understand why you should hire a divorce attorney? Do you think the entire procedure is as simple as filling out a few forms and getting divorced? What can a divorce attorney do for you? It’s a legitimate question, I suppose. Let’s explain what a divorce lawyer performs and why choosing one, especially a Boca Raton divorce lawyer, is one of the smartest decisions you can make at this difficult time.
What Do Divorce Lawyers Do?
Know the law.
Again, obvious but neglected. Do not be afraid to ask your lawyer what the law is, and if you have any specific questions, ask them! Sometimes you’ll get a hazy answer, but that’s because the law isn’t as clear-cut as we’d like.
Give advice that will help the case.
That may sound apparent, yet it is true. Boca Raton divorce attorney will advise you on how to improve your chances of winning your case in front of the judge. It’s a safe guess that you haven’t been in front of a judge very frequently, and while you may think it’s a good idea to tell them something or do something, the majority of the time, we earn our keep by telling them what not to do. Bringing up your husband’s affair from 1995? Will not benefit you, but may cement the picture of a “woman (or man) scorned” in the judge’s mind, presenting you as irrational.
Paperwork and court filing.
Divorce involves a mountain of paperwork—petitions, financial disclosures, parenting plans, and more. A divorce lawyer handles all of this for you, ensuring that documents are accurately prepared and filed on time. Does this mean you can’t write a good document? Of course not. But this avoids administrative hassles and costly legal blunders. Divorce attorneys spend significant time reviewing, creating, modifying, and selecting the best terms and phrases for paperwork.
Want an example? During a divorce, one party will frequently receive the house, but by “get,” I mean possess it and agree to pay the mortgage. The difficulty is the short pause following the term mortgage. Most persons who are “pro se,” or representing themselves in the court system, would not (and do not) expect to be required to refinance their home within a certain time frame. This can present significant problems when the party who does not own the house wishes to purchase their own home (or car, or obtain a credit card), as their debt-to-income ratio is sometimes severely skewed, and they discover they do not qualify for the credit they need.
What Divorce Lawyers Do Not Do
Divorce lawyers do not do taxes.
Okay, there are a few (very few) lawyers that attempt to practice both tax and divorce law, but everyone I’ve met who does so does so miserably. The issues simply do not overlap; litigation and tax preparation are two separate areas of law that do not require the same skill set. This means that you shouldn’t expect your divorce lawyer to provide much more than basic tax advice during your divorce. If you have a complicated company or trust arrangement, your divorce lawyer will most likely recommend that you consult your CPA.
Divorce lawyers are not mental health counselors.
Again, there are a few lawyers who want to be clinical psychologists; they listen, console, and, yes, embrace their clients. They exist, and I am afraid there are a lot of them. The vast majority of these employees lack training and perform poorly.
Divorce lawyers are not appraisers.
For example, a divorce lawyer can make wide advice. Most divorce lawyers know appraisers and experts who can come in and evaluate the value of almost anything, from a house to a collection of firearms, for a reasonable fee (usually). If you need to know the value of something, don’t rely on your divorce lawyer; instead, ask them to assist you in finding the right appraiser.
Conclusion
That concludes our not-so-brief look at what divorce lawyers do and do not do. Do you need a divorce attorney? No, just as you do not need a dentist or an annual checkup. You can do everything yourself, but keep in mind that the results may not be what you want!
