How The Right Family Law Attorney Can Help Make Divorce Less Stressful

The decision to divorce is stressful enough, but the process itself can be overwhelming for most people. Divorce cases typically involve heightened emotions and significant conflict. When you choose the right divorce lawyer, however, your attorney can help greatly reduce the stress you might otherwise experience.

Divorce cases involving children can place even more stress on people since the divorcing spouses will need to contend with child custody and visitation, child support, and many additional issues while striving to ensure their children’s best interests are protected. Whether you are divorcing with or without children, you might benefit by seeking experienced legal representation from a family law attorney at the Fontes Law Group. Our family law attorneys are compassionate and knowledgeable advocates who are strategic and creative problem-solvers. We understand the emotional difficulties our clients face when they are contending with divorce-related issues and can help you understand the best path forward under your family’s circumstances.

Here’s how choosing the right divorce attorney can help to lower the stress involved with your divorce.

1. Someone You Can Trust to Handle Your Case

When you are going through a divorce, it is important to have someone on your side whom you trust. In addition to having a good support system made up of family members and friends, it is equally important to have an attorney fighting for you who you trust to handle your case.

The attorney you choose should be someone with whom you feel comfortable. When you meet with prospective divorce lawyers, pay attention to how they communicate with you. You should choose a lawyer who listens to your concerns, explains legal concepts in straightforward language that you can understand, and has an open line of communication so that you can benefit from real-time support whenever you need it. A good family law attorney should be someone who is willing to work closely with you and who makes you feel confident about how your case is being handled.

2. Someone With the Right Experience and Track Record

When you hire a divorce lawyer, you should make sure they are someone with substantial experience handling divorce cases with similar fact patterns as yours. Ask a prospective attorney about how long they have been licensed to practice law and how long they have handled family law matters. Ask about their experience handling divorce cases that are similar to yours.

Make sure your lawyer has experience litigating cases at trial. While your attorney will try to resolve your case short of going to a divorce trial, you still want to make sure that your lawyer has courtroom litigation experience just in case you have a few outstanding issues that can’t be resolved through negotiations or alternative dispute resolution.

3. An Attorney Who Provides Honest, Objective Guidance

Because of the emotions people experience when they go through a divorce, it is important to find an attorney who can provide objectivity about your situation. Your lawyer should provide an honest evaluation of the issues involved in your case so that you can receive guidance about the steps to take. For example, your attorney might advise you about whether it makes sense for you to remain in your family home or if it might make more financial sense for you to downsize. Being able to receive an objective assessment about the issues with which you are dealing can help to greatly destress the process while helping to protect your rights and ability to emerge on the other side in a better position.

4. Skilled at Negotiating

Not all divorce cases need to go to divorce trials. In many cases, people are happier with the outcome of their cases when they can negotiate settlements of all of their outstanding issues rather than leaving the decisions up to a judge. The attorney you choose should be skilled at negotiating settlements, including those involving property division, child custody and visitation, alimony, and child support.

If your attorney can help you resolve your case short of trial, you might receive a resolution with which you are happier. Negotiating a fair settlement in a divorce case requires knowledge, competence, and care. However, if you can reach a settlement, it might also help you save money and time.

5. Resources to Handle Complex Cases

If your divorce involves complex issues, you need a lawyer who understands how to handle them and who has access to all of the necessary resources your case might require. Some of the types of issues that can make a divorce case more complex include the following:

• History of domestic violence and/or substance abuse
• Accumulation of substantial marital and separate assets
• Business ownership
• Extensive stock and/or cryptocurrency holdings
• Extensive real estate holdings
• Potential hidden assets

If your case involves complex issues, your attorney should have access to resources and experts to help your case, including forensic accountants, tax planners, business valuation experts, psychologists, property assessors, and others.

How the Fontes Law Group Can Help to Reduce the Stress From Your Divorce

Going through a divorce can take your attention away from the things that are most important to you. When you work with our experienced family law attorneys, we can help you understand what to expect and provide honest and objective guidance to you throughout your case. We can help you understand your situation objectively so that you can focus on what is important and minimize unnecessary conflict between you and your spouse.

Our attorneys understand how divorce can affect every aspect of the lives of our clients. We offer knowledgeable and highly skilled creative problem-solving to help our clients achieve the most favorable outcomes for their cases. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation to learn about your case and the help we can offer.