The divorce process is never easy, even when a couple reaches a mutual decision to end their marriage. Divorce is a series of formal legal proceedings that ends a marriage contract, and it is typically multifaceted, time-consuming, expensive, and stressful for everyone involved. If you are preparing to end your marriage in Springfield, MO, and are thinking of ways to potentially streamline the divorce process and save money, it’s essential to understand the value of having reliable legal counsel on your side. The right attorney can make a tremendous difference in your overall experience, helping you reach a suitable divorce agreement with a fraction of the time, stress, and financial impact you may have originally expected.
Risks of Attempting Divorce Without Legal Counsel
If you are trying to justify the potential cost of legal representation during your divorce, it’s necessary to start by assessing what you risk by attempting to handle your divorce on your own. The divorce process is a set of formal legal proceedings, and the average person with no professional legal experience or training is likely to make several mistakes when it comes to navigating these proceedings. For example, you may miss a court filing deadline, forget to submit the necessary documentation, or make other errors that complicate your case and lead to more time spent in a stressful litigation process.
When it comes to the outcome of your divorce case, having an attorney on your side is incredibly valuable. They can ensure your divorce resolution actually suits your best interests and that the process unfolds fairly, considering all relevant information. In addition, an experienced Springfield, MO, divorce lawyer will assist you with the financial disclosure process to ensure you receive a fair and reasonable financial outcome to your divorce, and they can help you build a more compelling case for custody and parental rights to ensure you have an acceptable custody agreement when your case concludes.
What Can a Springfield, MO, Divorce Attorney Do for Me?
If you are still unsure about whether the expense of legal fees would be worth it in your divorce case, consider some of the most important benefits of hiring reliable legal counsel to help you navigate your divorce:
- Your attorney will ensure your financial disclosure is complete and accurate, eliminating any potential for errors to reflect poorly upon you in front of a judge. This also ensures a fair outcome when it comes to child support, alimony, and property division in your divorce proceedings.
- If your divorce involves complex investments, high net worth assets, and other complicated details, your attorney can coordinate expert witness testimony to support your position.
- Your attorney can provide detail-oriented legal guidance no matter how you choose to handle your divorce. For example, if you and your spouse are agreeable to trying divorce mediation, you can have your attorney attend some or all of your mediation sessions. Likewise, if you take your divorce to court, your attorney will prepare you for every courtroom appearance so you can approach these proceedings with confidence.
- Your attorney will have the experience necessary to carefully evaluate every aspect of your divorce, ensuring the outcome is fair and reasonable under Missouri state law. This will minimize the chance that you will need to return to family court later to adjust aspects of your family court order. In addition, if you need to begin modification proceedings due to recent life events beyond your control, your attorney will already be familiar with your case and can streamline this process significantly.
- Your attorney can ensure that you take full advantage of alternative dispute resolution such as mediation. Even if you and your spouse have trouble with civil discussion as your divorce unfolds, a good attorney will do everything they can to help you through mediation with peace of mind. This may include acting as your proxy and communicating with your spouse’s attorney on your behalf.
- If you have experienced domestic violence at the hands of your spouse, an experienced Springfield, MO, divorce lawyer will know how to navigate the Missouri family court system to secure the orders of protection you need to stay safe from further harm. They can also ensure your spouse’s behavior is appropriately reflected in the outcome of your divorce case.
These are just a few benefits of hiring reliable legal counsel to help you navigate the complex and stressful divorce process. Ultimately, the risks of attempting to handle your divorce on your own far outweigh any potential benefits of eliminated legal fees. If you do not have an attorney on your side, there is no guarantee that you will reach a suitable result in your divorce case, and you may end up losing more than you saved in legal fees.
Finding the Right Springfield, MO, Divorce Lawyer
If you have decided to divorce in Springfield, MO, it’s essential to choose an attorney who has the skill, experience, and resources necessary to guide you to a favorable result in your case. Take time to research attorneys in the Springfield, MO, area and narrow the list of your preferred candidates. If you know anyone who recently divorced, ask them about their experiences with the attorneys they hired to further refine your list.
Most divorce attorneys offer low-cost consultations to prospective clients, so be sure to take advantage of these offers, so you have the chance to interview potential attorneys. Once you find a Springfield, MO, divorce lawyer who seems like a good fit for you, make sure you review and fully understand their billing policies before signing any contracts for their representation. A good divorce attorney should be clear and upfront about how they bill their time, how much time they anticipate spending on your case, and the overall timeline for your divorce.
If you are unsure about legal representation for your divorce, consider the risks of attempting to navigate your divorce on your own and weigh them against the benefits of hiring a reliable attorney to represent you. Once you understand the value of legal representation for your divorce, reach out to a reliable and experienced Springfield, MO, divorce attorney to secure the legal counsel you need to approach your divorce with confidence.
