The divorce process often seems legally simple, and many folks wonder whether it's necessary to pay for counsel. Do you need a divorce lawyer? The answer is that you absolutely do. Let's look at why it's wise to hire a divorce attorney if you're ending your marriage.

Simple Divorces Can Become Complex

Like many things in life, simple divorces are only simple until things get complex. Divorcing parties can play nicely until they get upset about one thing, and suddenly they'll remind you that a divorce is a lawsuit. Never assume things will keep going well. Lawyer up so you can avoid diversions and keep the process focused.

Emotions May Enter the Picture

When things come to divorce, there tend to be two groups of people. Some folks want the marriage over as soon as possible. Others want to have drawn-out fights.

Where this can get especially dangerous for a person's rights is when they want things over and their ex wants a battle. The person who wants it over may allow that feeling to drive their decision-making. Consequently, they might concede too much in a divorce settlement just to get it done.

A divorce attorney can protect your rights by serving as a check against emotion-driven decisions. If you're pushing too hard, a lawyer can tell you it's time to dial it down. Likewise, if you're not protecting your rights as actively as you should be, an attorney can do the heavy lifting for you.

Legalities Matter

A divorce is a lawsuit where at least one of the two parties tells the court they want to terminate the marriage. Given it is a lawsuit, your divorce needs to be as legally clean as possible. A sloppy divorce can leave behind huge long-term problems in terms of finances, family life, and living arrangements.

Worse, it might leave you not even legally divorced. That has implications for everything from paying taxes to trying to remarry. A divorce lawyer will help you file the right paperwork and make sure the whole process unfolds properly.

Work

Ultimately, filing a divorce is work. How much work do you want to put into learning divorce law and sending a bunch of documents to the county courthouse and the other party? A lawyer knows what to file and where to send it. If the court has questions, an attorney will know how to formally respond to them. Even in the simplest cases, someone with the necessary resources should handle the job.

Contact a law firm like Reisinger Booth & Associates to learn more.