Ending a marriage is an incredibly difficult process, both emotionally and legally. While processing the emotional end of divorce will be different for every person who experiences it, one constant for everyone facing divorce on the legal end of the process is the value of reliable counsel. An experienced Wichita, KS divorce lawyer could be your best asset if you are preparing to end your marriage in the near future. Your attorney can provide many tangible benefits that ultimately allow you to have a much smoother experience overall in your divorce.
Why Should I Hire an Attorney?
It’s not uncommon for people to assume that their divorce cases are straightforward enough that they could navigate them on their own. The reality is that any given divorce case can involve highly technical, complex, and otherwise confusing elements that a person with no formal legal training may not navigate very well. Additionally, it can be easy to overlook important details that a trained attorney would be able to identify and address in the appropriate manner, ultimately helping you reach a more favorable conclusion to your divorce case than you could have managed on your own.
Hiring an attorney creates a tangible layer of security over your divorce proceedings. Your attorney’s job is to help you navigate the formal legal proceedings your divorce case entails and ultimately guide you to the most favorable result possible for your situation. Divorce also often involves difficult subjects that require input from experienced professionals. Your Wichita, KS divorce attorney could coordinate expert witness consultation and testimony on your behalf to support your case, ultimately bolstering your legal position and allowing you to approach the situation with greater confidence.
Filing for Divorce With an Attorney Is Easier
The formal legal process of divorce begins when one spouse files a divorce petition with the Wichita, KS family court. The court receives this petition and then transmits the necessary paperwork to the petitioner’s spouse to allow them the opportunity to respond. Typically, most divorce cases start out as contested. The filing spouse must include their proposed terms and provisions for divorce in their petition, and it is very unlikely that their spouse will agree to every element of the divorce petition immediately.
Having an attorney assist you in the creation and filing of your divorce petition can significantly streamline the overall divorce experience. Many spouses who file their divorce petitions include unrealistic terms and provisions or fail to account for necessary details that ultimately cause their proceedings to drag on longer than they should. Having an experienced attorney assist you with this process can significantly streamline your overall divorce by ensuring you are realistic in the terms you include with your divorce petition.
An Attorney Can Explain Mediation Vs. Litigation
Ultimately, even if you file your divorce petition with very reasonable and comprehensive terms, your spouse may not agree to everything you propose. In this situation, the two of you will need to negotiate the terms of your divorce. At this point, an experienced Wichita, KS divorce attorney will help you determine the benefits of divorce mediation. This alternative dispute resolution method typically offers divorcing spouses the best opportunity to reach a mutually agreeable divorce order in the shortest amount of time.
The mediation process is relatively straightforward: the divorcing spouses and their respective attorneys will meet with a neutral mediator who will help them negotiate the various elements of their divorce and draft a divorce agreement. This allows the divorcing couple to negotiate their divorce privately in a more comfortable setting than a courtroom. It’s possible for a divorcing couple to negotiate all or some of the terms of their divorce and then move to litigation to handle the rest. In some divorces, specific factors will require the court review process.
It is generally in the best interests of every divorcing couple to explore divorce mediation to the fullest extent possible. Even if you and your spouse are unable to reach complete agreement on every facet of your divorce, mediating as much as possible before moving to litigation will save you both time, money, and stress. Divorce litigation is notoriously complex, expensive, and stressful. A good Wichita, KS divorce attorney will not only encourage you to consider divorce mediation but also assist you in taking full advantage of all the benefits mediation can offer.
Hiring a Good Attorney Allows You to Build a Strong Rapport for Future Legal Issues
Ultimately, your divorce may not be as final as you expect, and numerous factors might arise that require you and your spouse to revisit your divorce case at a later date. For example, if you have children and your divorce involved a custody determination, one of you may later require a change to your custody or child support terms in light of recent life events. This is yet another reason why reliable legal representation in divorce is so valuable. If you previously hired a Wichita, KS divorce attorney to represent you in your divorce case, they can potentially help you again if you need to revisit your divorce for any reason in the future.
A Reliable and Experienced Attorney Will Save You Time and Money
One of the most commonly cited reasons people use to justify their decisions not to hire divorce attorneys is the cost of legal representation. If you are unsure whether to hire a Wichita, KS divorce lawyer to represent you in your upcoming divorce case, remember that you stand to lose much more than you will spend on legal fees if you forego legal representation. While you may not pay legal fees, you will probably overlook key factors in your divorce case that will cost you more in the long run, and you could have avoided these problems by hiring an experienced Wichita, KS divorce attorney in the first place.
A good divorce attorney will help you streamline your divorce case in every possible way, from exploring divorce mediation and other options for alternative dispute resolution to guiding you through the litigation process so you can reach a positive result from your divorce case as quickly as possible. If you are planning to divorce in the near future, reach out to an experienced Wichita, KS divorce lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.
