If you and your spouse have agreed to divorce, you may be tempted to dissolve the marriage without the help of a lawyer. However, if assets or children are involved, you need legal representation. Here are a few ways a divorce lawyer can assist you during a divorce:
Filing for Custody
If you and your spouse have a minor child, you may want to maintain primary custody. Yet, the custodial arrangements will be based on what's best for your youngster. You will need to provide proof that living with you is best for your child, such as evidence of financial stability, prior actions as your child's main caregiver and indications that your child desires to remain in your care. In addition, any abuse at the hand of your spouse should be cited. Your lawyer can help you present your argument for custody in a logical manner that can help sway the judge in your favor.
Help to Keep Your Home
If you want to keep your family home after the divorce, you may encounter a problem if your spouse wants the house too. In some states, the assets obtained during the marriage are split equally, so the only way to stay in your home could be to "buy out" your spouse's portion of the house by relinquishing other common assets. Keep in mind that the furnishings and other contents in the home are not included as a part of the house. A divorce lawyer can help you review all of the assets involved in the settlement and develop a legal strategy for you to keep your home. Assets that you may not have even considered, such as your retirement fund, can be used in the bargaining process.
Mistake-free Filing
Even if you are emotionally distraught during a divorce, every divorce document is still expected to be filed timely and accurately. Disclosures of financial assets and debts must be correct, or the associated documents can cause the divorce process to be delayed. In addition, mistakes that are not caught can leave you with financial obligations that could have been fairly split between you and your spouse. A divorce lawyer can compare your court documents to other reports of debts and assets to help ensure that everything is consistent and appropriately filed.
A divorce is not an easy process. Even if you and your spouse are still on speaking terms, deciding difficult issues, such as child custody and asset allocation, can be tough. To make sure that your divorce is handled fairly, you should hire an experienced divorce attorney.
Share20 July 2015
When I began the divorce process, I knew that I wanted to change my name back to my maiden name. I no longer wanted to be associated with the family name of the man that I was divorcing. The problem was, I have three kids that all had their father's name. I wanted to know if I would be able to change their last names to my maiden name rather than having them carry that family's name for the rest of their lives. I found out a lot about what it would take and began working to create this blog to help other women wanting to do the same thing.
