14 Reasons Not to Go Through a Child Custody Case Without an Experienced Divorce Attorney
1. Child Support
2. Fair Custody Arrangements
Your divorce attorney knows the laws surrounding what is appropriate for child custody, parenting time, and visitation. Your lawyer will make sure that you are given the proper amount of time with your kids.
3. Decision-Making Power
Your attorney will know what you should be able to help decide when it comes to your children’s lives and will make sure that your agreement includes that ability to make these important decisions for your children.
4. Trial Experience
5. Holiday Schedule
Your attorney will help you negotiate an agreement with your ex-spouse about where your child will spend the holidays. Some parents like to alternative years when it comes to holiday arrangements while others like to split the day itself. Your attorney will also not let you forget about an agreement for your child’s birthday.
6. Healthcare Arrangements
Your attorney will help you determine who will hold health insurance for the kids, as well as any specific agreements such as which hospital or doctor you will be using for your children.
7. Negotiation
8. Legal Consequences
9. Defense
If you are accused of not complying with the agreement, your attorney will be able to argue your defense with the court. There may be extenuating circumstances and legitimate reasons you have broken the agreement, and your attorney will make the court aware of these issues.
10. Reduce Stress
Getting divorced and negotiating child custody will be among the most stressful experiences of your life. When you hire a professional to help you with these issues, you are taking some of that stress off yourself. It is important that you allow an experienced professional to take care of as much as possible in your case, so you are saved from that headache.
11. Binding Agreement
When you are not a legal expert, you may not know what goes into making a binding agreement. If you try to negotiate your child custody agreement yourself, you may find that you have left large loopholes that can be taken advantage of by your ex-spouse.
It is important that you use a lawyer who understands all aspects of child custody to create an agreement that cannot be broken. This is one way you will know that your rights will be upheld and that you will not be blindsided by your ex-spouse altering or ignoring the arrangements you have made.
12. Experience
Child custody cases are probably all new to you, but an experienced attorney has dealt with all aspects of this before and has the experience to know what is likely to happen in your case. Experience tells an attorney how a judge will rule on a particular point, how much to ask for in terms of support, and other details that you may not completely understand.
You are doing yourself a favor when you hire someone who has experience in this field. You and your kids will be the ultimate beneficiaries of your attorney’s professional background.
13. Speed Up the Process
Child custody cases can sometimes drag on for months or even years. Your attorney will know how to speed up the process and get everything done in a reasonable amount of time.
14. New Options
Because you do not have the background and experience to successfully negotiate the best child custody arrangements, you may also be unaware of additional options you have. Your attorney can let you know if there are choices you are missing or haven’t thought about that can be good for your children and make your case easier to complete.
When you are going through a divorce, especially one that involves child custody arrangements, you are probably overwhelmed and stressed by all that there is to do and decide. You will want an experienced attorney working hard on your side to get you the best deal possible and to defend you and your children’s best interests. Call us at Skillern Firm for a consultation about your case.