When meeting with an individual who is contemplating a divorce, I can always sense that they are wondering if they need an attorney. So, they look at alternatives. I am of the opinion none of these alternatives are advisable.
A trend has developed where attorneys will market themselves as Family Law Collaborators. They offer a Collaborative Divorce. In other words, they believe that both parties can hire one attorney and that individual will assist them in concluding their divorce.
Another alternative is the parties simply go at it alone. I have been retained in numerous cases where the parties attempted to save money by going at it alone. Many times, the paperwork they filed to obtain their divorce is faulty. This then causes one or both parties to suffer financially where they otherwise wouldn’t. I’ve been retained on numerous occasions attempting to reopen and modify Judgements of Divorce to fix mistakes.
While it might not surprise anyone that an attorney, such as myself, counsels against using one attorney or going it alone, I believe each party should hire their own attorney. I make this recommendation solely upon an interest to see parties treated fairly and not to increase my caseload.
Divorce is an extremely stressful, life altering, event. Making a mistake as a resu ...
