Protecting Your Rights When a Marriage Ends
While everyone knows that a divorce attorney is a powerful ally during a contested divorce and custody dispute, virtually anyone ending a marriage can benefit from retaining one. This is true for divorces where both parties agree to most of the terms and adversarial splits alike. If you’re considering ending a marriage, it’s critical to learn more about how having the right attorney at your side can help you protect your legal rights.
Divorce Attorneys Provide Information
Since each marriage is different, as are the divorce laws for each state, every divorce is a unique case. Working with an experienced divorce attorney can be the best way to learn about how the law pertains to the end of your marriage and what rights you have. This can include:
- Alimony
- Child custody and support
- Division of assets
- Protection orders (in the case of domestic abuse).
Even though you and your spouse may be in complete agreement on the majority of your divorce’s terms, it’s still to your benefit for each of you to have a separate attorney. Not only do you need someone on your side to represent your interests, but you also need someone experienced enough to help you ensure your divorce doesn’t drag on. Since divorce is a largely administrative process in the US, a clerical error can mean additional time before your divorce takes effect.
Divorce Attorneys Help with Delicate Situations
Unlike your friends who may be unquestioningly on your side and advocate for revenge, your divorce attorney is the one party who can advise you on the legality of your actions in the midst of a tense situation. For instance, burning your spouse’s belongings may be satisfying after your learn of their infidelity, but it has the potential to complicate your case. When your spouse has clearly wronged you, it simply doesn’t make sense to lose your legal advantage over ill-advised behavior.
Child custody arrangements are another area of divorce that can be tricky, especially when your children are still too young for their opinion to carry much weight in court. In this situation, your attorney will be fighting not only for your legal rights, but also for those of your children.
Divorce Attorneys Are Prepared for a Fight Even When You Are Not
Although you may have no desire for your divorce to turn into a long and contentious court case, you still need a divorce attorney who’s prepared for this outcome. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your attorney will advise you to avoid compromise at every turn. Ultimately, your attorney is looking out for your best interest throughout the process. If they feel the current terms are fair, they’ll tell you so. The flipside is that you need someone skilled enough to understand when you aren’t getting a fair deal and when it’s necessary to take your divorce to the next stage of the process in order to preserve your position and protect your legal rights.