Do-it-yourself (DIY) is popular these days. Spurred on by watching HGTV or browsing how-to videos on YouTube, people are attempting and succeeding at many tasks that were once left for experienced professionals.
Not everything is as DIY-friendly as learning to replace your own windshield wiper blades or upcycling pallets into tables. Some things truly are best left to the professionals, and the dissolution of your marriage is one of them.
Top 5 Reasons Divorce Is Not DIY Friendly
1. You are too close to the situation. An attorney can provide an outside perspective that helps prevent your own emotions from taking the wheel during the divorce process. Your attorney can prepare you for the divorce process, help you determine what issues are worth fighting over and identify what issues can best be resolved through compromise.
2. The results can last a lifetime. If you botch an auto repair, a mechanic can clean up your mistakes relatively quickly and get you back on the road. If your DIY divorce results in an unfair custody result or high spousal maintenance payments, you will be living with the consequences to your relationships and your finances for years or decades.
3. You don’t know what you don’t know. Your finances, your children and your future are all too important to leave in the hands of someone who is learning as they go.
4. Your time is valuable. Spending time researching family law and preparing yourself for family court is time that you are not working and time that you are not spending with your children. If you want to save money, ask a divorce attorney about collaborative divorce, uncontested divorce and other options that tend to keep legal fees down.
5. You deserve better. You may be a smart individual, but you are not the proven divorce and family law attorney you need to protect what matters most.
