Defending Your Custody Agreement: Protecting Your Education Choices

The Problem With Representing Yourself During A Divorce

23 May 2016 by Daryl Young

Divorce can be emotionally devastating. It's often financially devastating as well. Dividing assets can leave you scrambling for money, so hiring an attorney for the divorce may seem out of reach. Although representing yourself may seem like a good solution, it leaves you vulnerable to many future complications. When you are divorcing, you need an expert to protect your interests.

Emotions

Your divorce may begin amicably, but the issues you have to address are financial and emotional "bombs" that can go off at any time. Your home, your children, and your financial assets are all at risk, and this strain can cause you to make impractical decisions. Frankly, you cannot trust your soon-to-be spouse to have your best interests at heart, no matter how friendly they seem. You simply may be unable to calmly advocate for yourself in court.

Procedure

Even with the help of books and online sources, you can easily make paperwork mistakes that keep the divorce from being finalized by the judge. These mistakes can cause expensive delays in the process and keep you under financial and emotional strain longer than necessary. Also, if you do not understand something in court, the judge cannot offer much help beyond explaining the basics to you. They cannot advise you on how to proceed, so you are very vulnerable to making a mistake, particularly if your spouse has legal representation.

Long-term Finances

Even if you handle the immediate issues well, you may neglect the long-term financial picture. You need to deal with your retirement plans and possibly your spouse's stock options. You also need to explore all the tax ramifications of dividing your property. If you've created an estate plan together, all of that has to be changed in a fair and efficient manner. When you are trying to finish a divorce, it's easy to focus on the immediate problems and forget about the issues that can arise five, ten, and even twenty years down the line.

Often, divorces that begin amicably can turn angry and bitter. If neither of you has proper representation, you are more likely to get mired down in the process because you are simply too emotional. Also, a certain level of expertise is necessary to be effective in court. No matter how difficult hiring a lawyer may be, you need to find a way to accomplish it, or you may find yourself in an untenable post-divorce position. To learn more, contact a law firm like Bergermann Law Firm. 

 

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