The question of when it makes sense to hire a Utah Divorce Lawyer is best answered after understanding your personal set of circumstances. In helping you make this decision, you should consider contacting a family law attorney in Salt Lake City as soon as possible to discuss what your goals are in the divorce. Some people hire divorce attorneys very early in the process often before they are even separated or in some cases months prior to the time they know they want to file. Others hire their attorney much later in the process, sometimes after they have tried representing themselves in court but find the process to be foreign and difficult to navigate on their own. To help you make a decision, we provide the following considerations:
Hiring a Divorce Attorney Early in the Process
There are potentially many advantages to hiring a divorce attorney in Utah early in the process of your case. In fact, in most cases, especially those involving contested child custody matters or those involving a high number of assets, we suggest getting in touch with and hiring a lawyer as soon as possible. If you believe your spouse will be nasty in the divorce, you may be able to prepare your case early to your advantage keeping the other party on the defensive. For example, status quo is an important principle in Utah law when it comes to child custody issues. In some cases, judges are inclined to maintain a certain custody arrangement if the children are doing well under the circumstances. Knowing this, an attorney can give you advice relating to custody prior to filing for divorce so that by the time you have your first hearing on custody issues, you can show a favorable status quo. There are many ways hiring and consulting with a divorce lawyer in Salt Lake can also help you prepare financially for a divorce and help bolster your arguments for things like alimony, child support, or even taking possession of a marital home. For all these reasons, and many more, we strongly urge individuals about to enter a hotly contested divorce to hire a lawyer much sooner rather than later.
Getting a Divorce Lawyer On Board Later in the Game
If there are no contested issues in your divorce, or if you have been separated for some time and are in no great hurry to get divorced, you may not need a divorce lawyer right away. However, many people make the mistake of foregoing a lawyer early in the process because they don’t want to pay attorney fees, think they can handle it on their own, or for any number of other reasons. This is often a mistake. Attorney’s costs money yes, but the long term repercussions of a divorce decree are worth the cost of having it done right. Also, it can sometimes be more expensive to hire a lawyer to fix what you have broken in your case then it is to hire one from the outset. Additionally, there are some cases that are so extreme you should really hire a lawyer right away. Any case involving domestic violence, abuse, protective orders, or substance abuse issues really should have the help of family law attorney as soon as possible.
Consultation to Determine Your Best Course of Action
Speak with a member of our team to determine your best course of action. We will give you a free and honest assessment of your case and your need for hiring or not hiring a Utah Divorce Lawyer. The consultation is free ans were are available 24/7. Salcido Law Firm has offices in Salt Lake, Provo, Ogden, and St. George, so no matter where you live in Utah, we can help.
