Do You Need a Divorce Attorney?

If you are contemplating filing for a divorce in Canada, you may be wondering whether to work with a divorce attorney or go through the legal process on your own. Hiring a divorce lawyer has its pros and cons. Most people prefer going through the divorce process with the help of an attorney mainly to protect their legal rights.

However, hiring a divorce lawyer in Toronto is not cheap and sometimes, you may wish to go through the process by yourself. If this is the case, you need to familiarize yourself with the Canadian divorce laws and the court procedures of filing for a divorce. Apart from this, you will need to follow through with all the paperwork required to file for a divorce.

Benefits of Hiring a Divorce Attorney

Some of the benefits of working with a divorce lawyer include:

• The attorney is specialized in handling divorce cases and is up to date with divorce laws in your state.
• The attorney knows the procedure of filing for a divorce. He/she is familiar with petitions and motions and will ensure they are filed at the right time.
• The attorney is qualified in divorce law and has experience in handling negotiation issues such as spousal support, property division and child custody.
• The attorney knows the local judges, presiding officers and other legal professionals that may be involved in your case.

If you cannot afford or do not want to work with a lawyer, you can file for divorce on your own. The advantages of going it alone include:

• You will save on the cost of hiring a lawyer since you will be representing yourself.
• You will have more control on the direction your case is going.
• You will have direct contact with the attorney representing your spouse and will therefore be aware of everything filed with the courts.

The disadvantage of filing for a divorce by yourself is that you will have to research to know what is expected of you and do the legwork. Failure to follow the procedures for filing for a divorce can make the court to nullify the proceedings.

Apart from this, it can be stressful to go up and down finding and filling the paperwork required for the divorce process.

Most people prefer to work with family lawyers because of the peace of mind they get knowing that their case is being handled by a legal professional. A divorce attorney can make the divorce process less complicated by taking care of all the paperwork and advising you on the legal requirements of your case.