It's never a situation in which one wishes to find themselves: ending a relationship by way of a divorce. In many cases, however, it could be completely necessary for everything from financial reasons to one's own mental well being. Whatever the case may be, officially ending a marriage by way of divorce can be an incredibly nuanced gauntlet for one to have to navigate on their own. And, that's simply taking into consideration the practical legal process of ending a marriage. It does absolutely nothing to address the potential extreme mental and emotional toll a divorce can take on all those involved. For these reasons and many others, it behooves one to hire a lawyer who specializes in family law or divorce law.
In essence, there are two positions in which one can find themselves in a divorce: either as the petitioner or the respondent. In layman's terms, this translates to the person who proactively initiated the official request for the divorce as the petitioner. And, the recipient is the other partner in the marriage. It makes sense for the petitioner to have already hired a divorce lawyer. After all, it's pretty much required to have legal counsel in order to file such a request. However, it's also incumbent upon the recipient of a divorce filing to also hire their own family lawyer to represent themselves in court.
Even if there aren't any children involved in the divorce, the entire process of completing the divorce process is complicated. It's completely possible for one to make numerous mistakes out of nothing other than sheer ignorance if they do not have the professional assistance of a family law attorney to help them through the process. It's true that divorce lawyers can be expensive. However, their value shouldn't be measured by what they might cost in the short-term but the long-term benefits they provide. For example, a family lawyer can provide guidance that might be able to increase the amount of divorce settlement or decrease the amount in spousal support one has to pay. While those amounts might not seem like a lot at the moment they're happening, over time, they can really add up. A divorce lawyer's main objective is to be your advocate in family court, not anyone else's. As such, they will always put your best interest before any other consideration — even when it comes to a divorce.
For more information, reach out to a divorce lawyer in your area.