The Importance Of Divorce Planning
You may wonder why you need an attorney for your divorce if you and your spouse are in agreement on things, or perhaps you are expecting a divorce to start and cannot imagine why you would want to have an attorney yet. You need a divorce attorney for the same reason that you go to a competent dentist when a tooth is aching. You would never consider drilling your own tooth because you just don’t know-how. It is a job for a professional, not self-help. You need to get an attorney on board for exactly the same reason: Divorce is a job for an experienced professional.
The earlier you get a divorce attorney on board to make sure you know all of your rights, obligations, and entitlements, the earlier you can make an exit plan. That plan may be the best way to work out a reasonable settlement, or it may be the plan that requires a trial. In looking for an attorney for divorce, and divorce planning, ask questions to make certain the attorney is experienced in both settlement work and trial work. You do not want to have to change attorneys mid-stream because you have selected an attorney that does not do trial work and, suddenly, the other side refuses settlement, and you are aimed at trial.
Consulting an attorney should not be viewed as an adversarial act. A fair and just settlement cannot be reached without both parties being aware of all of those rights, obligations, and entitlements mentioned earlier. Though you and your spouse may be in agreement, there may be things that neither of you knows you would be entitled to, nor obligated to, under Alabama’s laws. An experienced divorce attorney has been through this hundred of times. They know the courts, the judges, how the system works, and, in general terms, how a court will view the circumstances of your case. An accomplished divorce attorney, onboard from the beginning, can and will help you negotiate the divorce process and does it without the emotions that tend to overwhelm in divorce actions, more so when child custody is involved.
You need someone who knows the best way to protect you and your rights, and that is an experienced divorce attorney. If you know a divorce is coming, look for an attorney now. Learn your rights and obligations in advance so that you can plan together.
This is not the time to bury your head in the sand and hope the looming divorce goes away. It will not, and ignoring it makes things worse. The sooner you speak to divorce counsel, the sooner you have someone in your corner that knows the ropes. Perhaps your children need counseling. Your attorney will know professionals that specialize in this sort of thing, that courts know and respect. You may need a business evaluated or a property appraised or a private investigator. Again, your attorney knows who is best to use in view of the circumstances of your case. Essentially, your attorney is the first member of the team that you need to navigate your divorce successfully.
You need to make an exit plan, and an experienced Alabama divorce attorney is the professional in the position to best put that plan, and your team, together for you.
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