Contested divorces, where the couple concerned cannot come to agreement on the conditions of their separation, can be very ugly in every way. These divorces are often typified by ugly emotions, public spats and prolonged court cases. Each partner will need a lawyer and the cost of these lawyers can very quickly add up to a considerable sum. Eventually, both partners will end up severely bruised, both emotionally and financially.
Dissolving the legal union of a marriage requires many important decisions to be made. Joined assets and liabilities, for example, need to be discussed and the rights and responsibilities of each party need to be agreed upon. Custody issues and maintenance payments can easily become thorny problems. Reasonable couples will try to limit the trauma and the price.
The fact remains that divorces are governed by many laws. Even the most reasonable divorcing couple will therefore need some professional assistance, but they will not need to hire more than one lawyer. The role of the lawyer will be to help them make the legal decisions that must be made, to draw up the final agreement and to present it to the court for endorsement.
It is not commonly known that there is, in fact, no legal requirement that a lawyer has to be involved in a divorce case. Divorcing couples can make use of counselors that are licensed and trained to draw up legal separation documents. They can help couples to come to the decisions that they need to make, draw up the required agreement and present it to the courts for official endorsement. Their services are much cheaper than those of lawyers.
Regardless of whether a divorcing couple employs a lawyer or a counselor, they pay for the time of these professionals. The secret of lowering the costs even further therefore lies in making sure that the lawyer or counselor does not spend a lot of time on the case. This can be achieved when reasonable couples privately discuss all issues and privately come to agreement. The role of the lawyer or counselor is then simply to draw up the final documents.
Civilized, uncontested divorces hold numerous benefits. Not only does the couple save a lot of money, but they also avoid most of the bitterness, anger and other negative emotions normally associated with contested cases. An amicable separation is almost always also easier for the children, if any are involved. In cases that are not contested it is often not even necessary for the divorcing couple to appear in court.
Divorces need not cause huge expenses and even financial ruin, but this can only be achieved if the couple involved is will to negotiate and communicate with each other in an adult manner. The consequences of a bitterly fought contested case can linger for many years. Emotionally mature couples know that they can avoid this.
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