Divorce, these days, is not so uncommon, be it for whatever reason. Once the decision from both sides is confirmed, the concerned couple approaches divorce lawyers. Initially, when clients come in contact with their lawyers, some get emotional, and perhaps even in agony, for divorcees, it could be hard and complicated to cope up with the situation. Besides the emotional burden, there are other legal and financial issues to be taken care of.
Role Of Divorce Lawyers
As a divorce lawyer, one has to negotiate the best settlement for his/her client. The lawyer should look into every matter of their client and listen to their statements minutely. To satisfy their clients, a divorce lawyer has to concern him / her with several topics like alimony, property, child custody, etc. Besides spending time in gathering information on the clients’ medical bills, tax returns, real estate bills, and other prospects concerning the case, the lawyer should also put his opinion regarding the settlement on their clients’ behalf.
Responsibilities Of The Divorce Lawyers
To settle the client’s case satisfactorily, the lawyer has to take up specific responsibilities. For instance:
- Pre-Divorce Counseling: This is the very first step where the divorce lawyers give their client the space to open up, talk freely, and become more comfortable with the scenario. This is how the lawyer comes to know about their clients’ case and discusses matters regarding essential issues like bank accounts, child custody, etc. in such cases, the lawyer must be a patient listener and sensible enough to deal with the turmoil going on inside the client and have a friendly attitude.
- Case Settlement: The courtroom might not always turn out the way, but a good lawyer should be capable to immediately visit the spouse and the other lawyer concerned to ease up the procedure. A smart lawyer would try to settle the case outside the court to save his client from becoming prey to uncomfortable or awkward situations in the courtroom.
- Flexibility: The lawyer has to be swift and flexible with their approach if the case takes a wrong turn due to any circumstance. It would be his responsibility to bring in enough evidence and guide the case back towards his clients’ favor.
Topics to Discuss With Your Divorce Lawyers
- Divorced parents are legally bound to support their children financially until their emancipation. The court outlines how much the parent is to pay for the child and based on that, both the parties get into a mutual agreement. There are primarily three categories of expenses- fixed, variable, and controlled.
- Marital property is the item purchased by the couple during their marriage, like the house, cars, furniture, jewellery, etc. Make a list of all the properties before talking to your attorney. The division of marital property will depend upon whether the client lived in a community or common law property state.
- Child custody is granted depending upon the emotional and physical welfare of a child. The custody, in such cases, has to take responsibility for the child’s education, health, and well-being. Talk to your lawyer about the type of charge you want for your child.
- When you meet your lawyer for the first time, make sure you carry all the necessary documents like titles, prenuptial or post-nuptial agreements, loan documents, financial statements, etc.
- Alimony or spousal support is one of the most controversial bits of law. It is the allowance ordered by the court to have one spouse pay to the financially disadvantaged one. Alimonies could be for limited duration, permanent or rehabilitative. The court takes into consideration factors like the length of the marriage, educational qualification, chances of employment, etc.
Conclusion
To have the case running your way, you must provide all the necessary information to your divorce lawyers. No matter how challenging and difficult the situation becomes at times, you just need to have access to all the vital documents along with your mental strength to get through the case quickly.