The burden that one experiences when facing a new divorce, custody, or family law case can be too much to bear for some. For some individuals, it can cause a lot of pressure and grief. The pressure and grief can cause people to make quick and impulsive decisions that they regret.
In some cases, one party might be ready to move on quickly. They might have hired an attorney and filed in court a dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or other family law case. They likely decided to get an attorney in their corner to help them get the case done.
In contrast, the other party is not always ready to move on nearly as quickly. The grief and anxiety might get the best of them. The grief and anxiety could cause poor decision-making on the part of some.
Versus taking protective action to hire an attorney, some do nothing. They drag their feet. They focus on the past. They wonder if they could have done something different to avoid the situation. They might think if they do nothing, and put their head in the sand, it all might go away.
In some cases, the individual who has an attorney gives proposed settlement documents to the other party who has no attorney. They are told if they just sign the paperwork, it will all end. Versus hiring a lawyer, the pressure gets to them. They crack and just sign the paperwork to be done.
Afterward, they often discover that the terms were not good for them. In some cases, the terms might impact them negatively in various ways. They may realize that if they had hired legal counsel, the result would have been different. Sometimes, the result might have been significantly better.
Even if not, by having a lawyer, they could at least not worry afterward about whether they should have hired an attorney. They might not regret it. They might not double-think what they did — or live long-term with the results of an adverse judgment. This can be particularly true where child custody, child support, or spousal maintenance were part of the settlement.
No matter the situation, almost everybody going through a divorce or family law matter should have legal counsel before they sign anything. It is critical to have an attorney’s guidance about the pros and cons of any settlement. The reality is that divorce and family law cases can have an impact on the lives of families for many years to come.
Further, once a case concludes, the reality is that a modification of custody or support is not always easy or possible. As it relates to marital property and debt division in a divorce, it is generally not modifiable once finalized. This is why you want to have legal counsel in your divorce or family law matter.
If you are going through a divorce or family law matter, you can contact us online or call us at 855-805-0595. We have lawyers in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Oklahoma in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield, and beyond.
