Do I Need a Lawyer?

Do I need a professional to help me with my divorce? I get asked this questions a lot. In Arizona you are not required to be represented by an attorney in family court. However, keep in mind that you are expected to know the law and rules of the court so it may be a good idea to either hire an attorney or a low cost alternative such as a certified legal document preparer (CLDP) service like  Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy.

Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy always recommends that you should schedule a consultation.  The consultation will also give you a brief overview of the the family court process. After the consultation, you can then decide whether you will need an attorney or a CLDP serrvice like Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy.

I remember one time I had an individual come see me who had represented himself in his divorce. He agreed to take all the debt and in exchange he would receive all the personal property. He thought that “personal property” included his retirement accounts. It did not and he ended up with all the debt and still had to divide his retirement accounts with his ex. By the time he came to see me his divorce had been finalized for months and there was nothing anyone could do.

Here are a few general guidelines to consider when deciding whether you need a professional like Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy or not:

• Does the otherside have a professional helping them with their case?

If neither party is represented by an attorney, the judge may be somewhat more lenient on the rules of evidence and what he/she will allow in the courtroom. However, If one party is represented by an attorney or a CLDP service, the other party is usually doing a big disservice to his/her case to not hire Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy or an attorney. There are many deadlines in Court that if missed, can have a powerful effect on your case.

• Have you fully considered the long terms effects of your agreements?

Even if you and your spouse are amicable and agree on how to divide everything and/or share decision making, child custody and parenting time, I strongly recommend that you have a family law professional draw up your final documents for the court. Go over the agreement with an attorney so that you can make sure that you understand the implications of all of your agreements. For example, maybe you and your spouse are agreeing to split all the holidays with the children. While it may seem like that will not be a problem, what happens when it is Christmas Eve and you think it is your year to have the children? What will you have to show your ex that it should be your parenting time and what time your parenting time is supposed to start and end?  Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy understands this and can help you develop a Parenting Plan that you can be happy with.  This is just one of the many ways Discount Divorce & Bankruptcy helps its clients.

The experienced family and bankruptcy document prepares at Discount Divorce assists clients throughout Arizona, including the cities of Ahwatukee, Apache Junction, Avondale, Bisbee, Buckeye, Bullhead City, Camp Verde, Casa, Cottonwood, Douglas, Eloy, Grande, Carefree, Cave Creek, Chandler, El Mirage, Flagstaff, Florence, Fountain Hills, Gila Bend, Gilbert, Glendale, Globe, Goodyear, Gudalupe, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Litchfield Park, Marana, Maricopa, Mesa, Nogales, Oro Valley, Paradise Valley, Payson, Peoria, Phoenix, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Queen Creek, Safford, San Luis, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, South Tucson, Snow Flake, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Tolleson, Tucson, Waddell, Wickenburg, Winslow, Youngtown and Yuma.

Visit www.discountdivorcepro.com or call (602) 896-9020. Discount Divorce is located at 13817 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85023-6105.

As always you should seek legal advice for specific issues like the one above before coming to Discount Divorce to have your documents done and processed so that your legal rights may be protected.