I have a friend who is a lawyer going through a divorce proceeding. He does not want to hire a lawyer because he is already a lawyer and knows how ugly a divorce action can get. He also doesn’t want to spend the money. He wants to sever the cord quickly and easily.
There is a saying that a lawyer who has himself as a client, has a fool for a client.
This is the absolute truth.
A family lawyer can advise you on how to divide your property, how to resolve your custody and access issues so that in the long run there will be as little bleeding as possible to all the parties involved. Divorce is painful. It can get very nasty and protracted. You need to have the assistance of a professional to guide you during this very emotional time. Lawyers provide you guidance, and give you clear ideas and thoughts when you cannot be impartial or make rational decisions because it is your own family or property that is at stake. Lawyers are expensive no doubt. But there is a reason that they exist and the judicial system is as extensive as it is. It’s because lawyers are required. Last week, I was at Family Court and could not find a parking spot. I circled for a half hour looking for a spot. Then when I waited in a long line to get in as if it was a sale at the Apple store. It dawned on me how extensive and massive the judicial system is and how we are all involved in it at some point in our lives. Even if it is a parking ticket.
I think when it is your own family that is going through the grinder, it would be very difficult to make painful decisions with precision unless you have a lawyer. I think the expense is short term, because in the long run the benefit will pay off. The presumption that lawyers know the legal system, the correct forms and rules to rely on, are familiar with the judges and therefore can manage their own case is inherently flawed. The reality is that when it is your own family that is being split into two and your property is now being split in half, you lose all sense of objectivity and could make very cloudy decisions. The safest bet is to hire your own lawyer.
