Is An Expensive Divorce Attorney Worth It?

An experienced divorce attorney who is focused on family law matters is likely to be more expensive than an inexperienced divorce lawyer or a general practice firm that is not focused on family law. Experienced and effective divorce attorneys, though expensive, are worth every penny because they can:

1. Help you easily navigate the legal processes
2. Empathize with you and ease your stress
3. Determine what is rightfully due to you (alimony, child support, child custody, marital property)
4. Negotiate skillfully and, usually, settle the case before it goes to trial
5. Help you maximize your time with your kids and maximize your money.

Here’s why an experienced divorce attorney is worth every penny:

1. You Will Easily Navigate The Legal Processes

• The attorney will draw up a marriage settlement that helps you accomplish your goals.. He/she will take into account how the settlement impacts your present and the future, sniff out any hidden terms that can work against your interests, and generally ensure that you get the best possible deal that is legally enforceable.
• Sometimes when a spouse stands to get a satisfactory sum from the separation, he/she starts procrastinating and doesn’t really bother to go deep into the terms of the settlement. This is where an experienced attorney can help by analyzing the other spouse’s income and assets, and advising you on what you actually deserve but are not getting.
• Also, even when you and your spouse agree to all the terms, you need the terms to be legally valid and enforceable in the courts, should an issue arise in the future. Experienced attorneys formulate rock-solid and perfect agreements that are legally enforceable and fair.
• An experienced attorney knows what paperwork it takes and what orders to request (temporary orders, restraining orders, etc.). An inexperienced attorney may not be aware of the ins and outs of family law and he/she may not be keeping track of how judgments of the recent past may have impacted the law. An experienced attorney can help you file the paperwork and request for orders in a way that your requests are not turned down by the courts. The attorneys are networked with the court’s employees, exacting with their paperwork, and they keep your case up-to-speed in accordance with the state-mandated procedures.

2. Your Legal Hassles and Stress Will Be Greatly Reduced

• Experienced divorce attorneys are compassionate and, having handled 1000s of cases, they are aware that divorce is an extremely painful and tragic event (unless you are in an abusive marriage). Moving out of a home, splitting property, sharing children, living with a lower monthly income, etc., can cause great distress. Experienced attorneys empathize with you and can provide you with the moral support that you may be looking for from someone outside of your family.
• By ensuring that your case is legally sound and enforceable, such lawyers help reduce the stress caused by the emotional and financial pain and suffering generated by divorce.

3. You Will Know What Is Rightfully Due To You

• Rightful Alimony is calculated after taking the state’s rules into account by such attorneys. The same goes for child support.
• Conflicts and arguments over child custody are likely to be quickly resolved because the lawyer will create an effective parenting plan that is fair to both the parents and in the best interests of the child.
• The lawyer ensures that the marital property is fairly divided between the spouses.
• The attorney also investigates, if required, whether the other spouse is hiding any marital property and ensures that it is brought into the marital property pool.
• Complex-to-value marital assets like ESOPs, art, brands, and other intangibles are appraised by professionals to determine their rightful value. This ensures that you don’t lose out on any property because you are not aware of its true value.

4. Your Case Will Be Skillfully and Efficiently Negotiated And May Be Resolved Quickly

• High- and medium-conflict divorce cases usually take a long time to resolve. However, experienced attorneys can help both spouses cut through their egos and see what is at the bottom of the pit. By putting facts on the table, the attorneys can help reduce acrimony and the time it takes to resolve divorce cases.
• Experienced attorneys believe in a peaceful resolution to divorce and usually recommend their clients to opt for mediation or collaborative divorce. About 98% of the cases handled by such attorneys are resolved before the trial stage.
• To settle a divorce case before the trial stage, experienced attorneys listen to everyone patiently and actively, build a rapport, ask incisive questions, and negotiate skillfully. They place the facts before the other spouse’s lawyer, suggest one or more common logical solutions, and specify their client’s demand (which is likely to be one of the logical solutions). Most divorce cases are resolved by skillful and peaceful negotiation.
• An experienced attorney is likely to keep you calm, objective, and level-headed throughout the divorce process as he/she guides the case to a satisfactory close.

5. Help You Maximize Your Time With Your Kids And Maximize Your Money

By building an irrefutable, robust divorce case and skilfully navigating it, an experienced attorney can reduce divorce-related stress, maximize your share of marital money and property, and free up a lot of time, which you can spend on preparing your kids for the changes that divorce will bring into their lives.

An experienced, reputed, and effective family law attorney is expensive because he/she is competent, skilled, and knowledgeable, can communicate effectively, and help you resolve your case quickly and rightfully. He/she may seem expensive on paper, but when you start counting the tangible and intangible advantages, you will realize that every penny spent on such attorneys helps secure your future.