As a Washington, DC divorce lawyer, a question I often hear is “Do I need a divorce lawyer?”
Even if you and your spouse agree on how to settle all the issues in your marriage, it is still very important that you be aware of all of your rights in order to protect yourself in the future.
It is best to have an attorney advise you as you negotiate a settlement with your spouse or have an experienced DC divorce lawyer negotiate a settlement on your behalf. It is in your best interest to have an attorney draft a Separation Agreement for you.
This will help you in the future because you will then be sure that all issues are taken care of and that nothing will crop up in the future that will cause disagreements between you and your spouse.
An Agreement that is not well written or is incomplete may lead to complicated legal problems later.
If you sign an Agreement without the benefit of speaking to a divorce or family lawyer or a DC divorce lawyer, you may give up rights that you did not know existed. No matter how amicable your separation is, you and your spouse have conflicting interests.
In order to protect yourself, it is best to have an attorney guide you through the process.
It is best to try all options to reach a settlement with your spouse so you do not have to go through the expense and stressful experience of a court case on top of the emotional toll your separation has already taken on you.
It is very difficult to try to deal with these issues alone because you are going through an emotionally complex time. It is also very hard to protect your own interests when you are coping with the end of your relationship.
An experienced DC divorce lawyer can advise you as you negotiate a settlement with your spouse or can negotiate the issues with your spouse’s attorney and help to lessen some of the burden on you.
There are many divorce and family law attorneys to choose from in Washington, DC. The process can be overwhelming. You want to be sure you feel comfortable talking with your attorney and that your attorney is accessible to you via telephone and email.
It is important that you be able to communicate well with your DC divorce lawyer and are able to ask questions and get answers when you need them.
Going it alone is certainly not as financially costly but can be emotionally wrenching and very costly in the long run if you give things up due to a lack of knowledge of what your rights are.