If either of the married couple or both have decided to put a full stop to their conjugal life, one of the most important decisions to be made pertains to whether they need a divorce attorney. Though on the surface, the question sounds simple, the answer is not easy and you need to decide it only after assessing your particular situation as well as the divorce laws of your state.
According to common belief, less reliance on a divorce lawyer to deal with your problems enhances the chance of smooth processing of the case. But in reality, expert divorce attorneys Long Island NY help their clients experience a happy ending following either out-of-court settlement or hard court battle. Let us enrich your knowledge for the right decision in the rest of this write-up.
A Divorce Layer is Not Always Needed
Nothing is better than working together with your spouse and ironing out the differences regarding the most important aspects including child custody and support, property distribution and the likes. You can sort out the problems with or without the help of a neutral mediator.
Solving the crucial issues between the parting partners helps both the parties reach out with satisfactory solutions quickly. In addition, it helps them save expenses in the long run as well.
Some states across the USA even don’t require the couples to attend the court for finalization of uncontested divorce cases.
Divorce Lawyers – Adding Fuel to Conflicts Sometimes but Not Always
The major allegation against some, and not all, divorce lawyers is they just intensify the emotions and that acerbates the problems. .These lawyers exploit bitterness of the situation and make money out of it. However, just like other profession, law practices are not confined to only the honest and hard-working professionals.
There is no dearth of expert divorce lawyers who are committed to their clients’ purposes instead of showing aggressiveness to prove their mettle or squeeze money. The question is how to be sure about a lawyer’s attitude? The rule of the thumb suggests if the lawyer is infamous for taking even the smallest issues to the court instead of settling it out of the court, he/she is the not the person up to your trust.
Hire Your Own Attorney
A couple is prohibited from hiring the same divorce attorney. This is simply because the lawyer is required to conform to some ethical practices as long as he/she is practicing. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. Joint representation is allowed in the following cases:
- The spouses sort out critical issues related to divorce.
- The spouses have confidence that they will be able to solve the minor issues.
- The spouses understand and are informed that the divorce lawyer will not be able to represent both the parties during the divorce case.
- The spouses have given their consent to joint representation during the divorce case in writing.
- The spouses want their divorce attorney to prepare the necessary paperwork.
In a few cases, joint representation is successful but only in seminal stages. Issues crop up later as the spouses no longer agree on the fundamental issues. If that happens, the lawyer representing the couple should transfer at least one party to another attorney.