Are you contending with a divorce, child custody, or spousal support case? Or do you need to alter an order that has gone through court? If your answer is a resounding ‘yes’, you need to consider hiring a family law attorney.
What is a Family Law Attorney?
Family law attorneys are legal experts specializing in family law. This practice covers family matters, including adoption, marriage, paternity, divorce, property division, and child custody. Our legal team practices family law and can represent you in family court cases and similar negotiations. We can also help you draft relevant vital documents like petitions and property agreements.
When Should You Hire a Family Law Attorney?
Here are several scenarios that make family law attorney services necessary:
You plan to file for divorce
Couples divorce for many reasons. The most common include infidelity/extramarital affairs, lack of commitment, and absence of love or romantic intimacy. If irretrievable breakdowns, conflicts, or a lack of shared interests affect your relationship, you may also seek a divorce. Most importantly, when domestic violence and physical, emotional, or verbal abuse become prevalent in your marriage, divorcing your partner may be the best resort.
Suppose you plan to file for divorce. In that case, partnering with a good divorce lawyer is wise. An attorney helps you navigate negotiations and proceedings involving many things, including the division of assets and support payments.
Your spouse has legal representation
Every party involved in a divorce case hopes to win or, at the very least, secure a deal in their best interests. Therefore, at least one individual consults and works with a trained attorney before and during the proceedings. If your partner has sought legal representation, don’t move forward without an experienced lawyer by your side. Otherwise, you’ll be fighting against a party whose copious legal backup is enough to bring you down in a heartbeat.
And if your spouse doesn’t have attorney service, get the upper hand by hiring a reputable divorce attorney before they do.
You are not a trained family law attorney
No novice should represent themselves in family court, especially where a divorce case is involved. That is inadvisable because you may make several catastrophic mistakes if you are not a trained attorney in family law matters. These include frequently becoming angry, defensive, or upset and relying on common sense or sympathy alone.
If you lack legal training, seek lawyers representing clients dealing with family law issues. That will ensure you are not solely at the court’s mercy and have every weapon required to secure favorable outcomes in your arsenal.
You need child support or alimony payments
Child support is vital in reducing child poverty rates and helping families become or remain self-sufficient. Generally, this item’s primary goal is dividing the costs of raising children between their parents. These may involve necessities like food, shelter, clothing, and school.
On the other hand, alimony balances the economic effects of divorce and ensures no one is left empty-handed. It also protects spouses who may otherwise have to suddenly fend for themselves after sacrificing their professional growth for marriage. If you are headed for a divorce and need child or spousal support, let a divorce lawyer help you out. They will negotiate fair settlements and speed up case resolution. Family law attorneys may also act as guardians ad litem and represent your kids in custody cases.
Why is Working with a Family Law Attorney Advisable?
Divorce cases often get complicated FAST despite starting on friendly feet. That is why you should hire an attorney from an exemplary law office from the very beginning. That is advisable for the following reasons:
Knowledge and experience
Experienced family law attorneys tackle Utah divorce cases regularly. Therefore, they have the knowledge and skills required to handle the Utah legal system, unruly partners, and numerous twists and turns likely to pop up while proceedings are underway.
If signs indicate that your case is likely to get complicated in the long run, a skilled and experienced attorney should be in your camp. Their expertise will prove indispensable when complications like custody and visitation disagreements manifest.
Paperwork
Divorce and separation come with a mountain of paperwork. For instance, you must file a petition with the local court and forward all relevant divorce paperwork copies to your spouse while initiating the process.
Not to forget, your divorce case may require several work or family documents, including proof of income, employment contracts, and local, state, and federal tax returns. In most instances, investment, property, and lifestyle documents are also prerequisites.
An outstanding family law attorney assists you with divorce paperwork and ensures you have all the proper documents. They carefully review everything before you sign, ascertaining that no hidden clauses, including unrealistic support payments and unfair terms, are prevalent.
Legal advice
Family law attorneys are better suited to give formal or professional opinions on matters regarding divorce and separation. The reason is that these experts are familiar with these cases and everything involved. A skilled representative’s advice may cover issues your spouse may use against you, including marital waste and hidden assets. In addition, they may suggest ways to proceed that won’t cause irreparable damage.
On top of that, experienced divorce lawyers know when circumstances require you to get a therapist, put your kids first, avoid filing for divorce, safeguard irreplaceable heirlooms, etc. So, their input is priceless.
Emotional support
A divorce is a stressful event with a whirlwind of crippling emotions. Although lawyers aren’t intrinsically therapists, they do all they can to help clients through the rough patches associated with divorce and separation. An exemplary client-attorney relationship will help you navigate the entire process without letting grief, sadness, anger, guilt, or other emotions cloud your judgment. Without expert support, you may succumb to emotions like anger, lose your temper, and say or do something damaging to your case.
Qualities of an Outstanding Family Law Attorney
A fitting family law attorney for your divorce case should have the following qualities:
- Adequate experience
- A proven track record
- Exemplary communication skills
- Professional attitude
- Unwavering confidence
- Availability
- Excellent case-building skills
Read real-life testimonials from our clients who have worked with us on their divorce cases at our google page.
Which Divorce Cases Do Family Law Attorneys Handle?
The attorneys in reputable family law firms handle contested, uncontested, collaborative, default, and divorce cases.
- Contested divorce cases – If your spouse disagrees with any facet of the case, be it property division, child custody, spousal support, or the divorce itself, attorneys call that a contested divorce case. Contested divorces are often more complicated than their counterparts. As a result, lawyering up is essential. Don’t go through this financially and emotionally draining process on your own. Hire a family law attorney and let them help you see this challenging process through.
- Uncontested divorce cases – Uncontested divorce cases are more manageable than contested cases because, in the former, all involved parties are on the same page. So, they agree on all pertinent issues, including child support, division of marital assets, child custody, and visitation. With the help of a qualified family law attorney, an uncontested divorce should take little time and cost less in the long run.
- Collaborative divorce cases – A collaborative divorce lets couples negotiate their case’s terms without the fighting and mud-slinging that often arise in court proceedings. If you and your spouse choose this path, you will need two primary tools to reach an agreement: negotiation and mediation. A skilled attorney walks you through the entire collaborative divorce process, from the initial conversation to final discussions. They use their expertise to ensure both parties get a win-win settlement.
- Default divorce cases – Attorneys refer to cases where one party fails to respond to a petition as default divorces. Therefore, this divorce involves legal proceedings with one active participant and an absent party. Your lawyer may advise you to file for a default divorce if your partner is unreachable and you’ve genuinely tried to locate them without success. In addition, depending on state laws, you and your spouse may agree to a default case if you concur on all major issues. But, in the second scenario, one spouse should file for divorce without receiving a response from the other party.
In conclusion, if you are considering hiring a family law attorney for your divorce this article should have helped answer any of your concerns. If you are still unsure we offer a no-cost consultation and can answer Utah-specific divorce law questions or concerns. Schedule an appointment with our office today to get started.
