Do You Need A Divorce Lawyer?

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Divorce isn’t something any engaged or married couple ever wants to consider. You spend months planning the perfect wedding, you think you’ve found “the one” and that it’s going to be happily ever after.

However, according to Psychology Today approximately 1 in 4 marriages will end in divorce and I might even be inclined to say 2 in 4 marriages just based on my life experiences.

Regardless, no one expects to get divorced but if it happens you’ll need to decide if you need a divorce lawyer.

Some couples may choose to do a DIY divorce and come to an agreement on splitting assets, liabilities and pet custody. This is a really great option for couples with few assets and no children.

Although, I did help a friend prep her divorce paper work and there were children involved. I think the key thing there was her ex basically took off and wanted nothing to do with his children or her anymore.

It took a lot of work just to track him down to serve him the divorce papers.

There is a lot that goes into filing for your own divorce, but it is a viable option especially if finances are tight.

This will also vary by state so you’ll want to do your own research.

Some, like another friend of mine, retained a lawyer while her ex represented himself and together they all met with a mediator.

Having a mediator is a great choice to help you facilitate the dividing up of life together. If you have a collaborative divorce process, defined by the Tampa divorce lawyer, as

“… all about working together. While each party will still maintain their own legal counsel, they commit to sharing a financial neutral, a divorce coach, and any other specialists they’d like to admit to their team, such as a child specialist or a divorce real estate specialist.”

In my opinion, hiring a mediator works best if the lines of communication are open and the individuals can speak kindly to one another and come to an agreeable arrangement.

However, there are times when hiring a lawyer may be the absolute best option for all parties involved. According to DivorceMag.com you’ll definitely want to hire a lawyer if there are minor children involved.

They state:

“A good lawyer can make all the difference in the world for you and for your children. A good lawyer will know all the tricks that people use to get out of this or that, hide things, etc. A good lawyer will close all the loopholes and protect you from all sides.”

Personally, I’d also recommend a divorce lawyer if there are significant assets and liabilities in the marriage. Things like second homes, 401ks, stocks and investments, artwork, as well as college tuition, credit card debt, personal loan debt.

Don’t even think about not hiring a lawyer if you own a business together. You’ll want an impartial party to help divide up or restructure the business if you’re no longer able to work with your soon to be ex.

While there isn’t one straightforward answer to if you need a divorce lawyer or not I would tell you to consider all your options and make a decision based on what works best for you.