Is it a Good Idea to be Your Own Lawyer in a Divorce Case?

Marriage is as highly revered an alliance as falling in love where the ‘feeling of self’ is overtaken by the concern for the other person (the proverbial ‘better half’) and the sense of ‘I’ changes into the sense of ‘us’. The birth of children further cements this relationship.

The smiling faces of husband, wife and kids make the picture of a complete, happy family. It looks like a rock-solid foundation of empathy and love where the adults are emotionally nurturing each other as well as the young. So, it is always a rude jolt when the dirty word of “divorce” or “infidelity” creeps up in the relationship.

Divorce is often caused by a partner straying into an extra-marital relationship. It may also be the result of gradual loss of love and intimacy due to years of familiarity in a marriage where both the partners become bored of each other and crave for something new and exciting.

The partners may try to salvage their marriage by giving up on the illicit relationship, renewing their bond of love by forgiving other’s sins or by taking marriage counselling sessions. Only a lucky few marriages survive; the rest crumble under this immense pressure.

Divorces are often the most ugly phase of a relationship called marriage. They introduce total pandemonium in home as emotions are hurt, resentment builds up and children feel traumatized watching their parents quarrel in a way they have never seen them before. Dirty linen is washed in front of extended family members and friends, personal secrets are betrayed and legal battles ensue over the custody of children and sharing of finances and assets.

Some divorces, however, also end up in a dignified way where both the partners accept the inevitable fact of breakdown of their marriage and part their ways as friends keeping in mind the interests of their children and the dignity of a relationship they shared for so many years.

Irrespective of how the marriage ends – with a bang or whimper – the process of getting a divorce is a complicated emotional and legal affair that needs to be conducted before the partners can separate officially. Divorce costs heavy on time and money of the warring partners. It is therefore no surprise that one major concern with people filing for it is how to reduce their expenses while reaching for a settlement that fairly divides their joint marital assets and takes care of the child-custody issues.

Using an online divorce form and acting as one’s own legal counsel is a tempting choice for cutting down on the costs of hiring an experienced but expensive solicitor. Many people reason it best to act as their own lawyers as they are better equipped with intimate details about their spouses’ lives and personality than any professional solicitor is ever likely to be. It is true that most of the divorce proceedings have lawyers relying on their clients for obtaining useful information about their partners.

The logic is relevant in divorce cases where both the partners were intimately close during most of their marriage period. It however takes a beating in cases where one partner has been cheating for a long time and has had secret bank accounts or properties to maintain their mistresses or boyfriends over the years.

Also, acting as one’s own solicitor to save on those few hundreds of pounds is a viable option when both the partners want to end their marriage amicably and there are no acrimonious issues pending on sharing assets or custody of children or both. However, the risks override the benefits in divorce proceedings where the partners are not on good terms with each other and want to contest every single issue.

The guidelines given on online divorce Websites about legal provisions for those applying for custody of children are too general in nature and do not address the issues that may arise in individual cases. Similarly, property and finance issues including bank accounts, immovable property, cars and expensive memorabilia require a good amount of legal expertise than what the basic online instructions provide.

As both the partners have a lot to gain or lose in contentious divorce cases, an astute lawyer would look sharply and thoroughly into individual case details and make a presentation to the judge that best suits the client’s interests. So, it is best to see what is on stake before one decides to make the decision to be one’s own lawyer.

Article Source: http://www.myaddirectory.com

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you want to find out more about a solicitor managed divorce see www.managed-divorce.co.uk

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