Do I Need an Attorney to Get a Divorce?

There is no legal requirement for you to hire an attorney to get a divorce in California. However, not having professional legal counsel on your side is unlikely to serve your best interests and may even jeopardize your parental and financial rights. The fact is that your divorce terms will directly affect your future, which makes consulting with an experienced Redlands divorce attorney early in the process an excellent plan.

Uncontested Divorce

An uncontested divorce is a divorce in which the spouses can reach agreements on all the following terms of the divorce and are willing to sign off on them:

● The division of marital property

● Child custody arrangements

● Child support

● Alimony

Generally, finding a middle ground on each of these matters requires a considerable amount of negotiation, and having a trusted divorce attorney who's a skilled negotiator in your corner is to your distinct advantage.

If you and your divorcing spouse are truly on the same page regarding every divorce term, you’re less likely to need a significant amount of legal guidance from a dedicated divorce attorney, but going over the terms you’ve settled on with a skilled divorce professional who recognizes their implications for your future is always well advised.

Contested Divorce

A contested divorce is one in which you and your spouse have exhausted your ability to negotiate mutually acceptable terms and come up short. The terms that remain unresolved in a contested divorce must be addressed in court. At this point, you give up your decision-making authority and need to bring your strongest case in pursuit of terms that uphold your applicable rights, and proceeding without professional legal counsel can backfire.

Your Divorce Attorney’s Role

Your divorce attorney will fill many primary roles on the journey forward toward finalizing your divorce and transitioning into your post-divorce reality. These include:

● Applying their in-depth legal skill and knowledge to your unique circumstances and building your strongest case in the process

● Affording you objective representation, helping you to make the right choices for you along the way

● Providing you with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re in good hands, which can help alleviate the immense stress commonly associated with divorce

● Helping you explore customized solutions that may keep your case out of court

● Engaging in skilled negotiations with your divorcing spouse and their divorce attorney while being well prepared to take the matter to court if it comes to that

Discuss Your Questions and Concerns with Gramling Law Group

If you’re facing a divorce, your rights are on the line, and the formidable divorce attorney at the Gramling Law Group is standing by to help. We dedicate our impressive practice to helping clients like you better understand and protect their rights, and we’re here for you, too. To learn more about what we can do to help you, please reach out and call our office.