Getting Through Your Divorce

Posted on: 17 February 2022

As family law grows in complexity, so does the need to understand the field. It is particularly the case for family lawyers because keeping up with emerging issues puts them in a better position to help clients. Thus, understanding family lawyers is vital for clients since it helps hire the right person for the job. In this regard, you can start with the misconceptions people hold regarding family lawyers. Notably, the myths can make it challenging to make an informed decision when hiring a lawyer. This article highlights some of the most common myths about family lawyers.

Lawyers are Not Necessary for Mediation — Family courts, relationship experts and lawyers often advise couples to try mediation first before moving to litigation when dealing with divorce or separation. The reason is that mediation has financial, emotional and psychological benefits. For instance, mediation is cheaper than litigation, and you get an opportunity to keep everything private for the children's sake. Notably, most people believe that a family lawyer has no role to play in mediation. However, nothing could be further from the truth because couples still need legal advice in mediation since is the only way they can understand their rights. Besides, most experienced mediators have a precondition that both parties seek independent lawyers before the mediation process starts. Therefore, if you opt for mediation and consider putting off hiring a lawyer, think again.

Family Lawyers Work Independently — Another major misconception is that family lawyers work independently. Well, family law is a complex field, and practitioners require some level of ingenuity and help from other professionals to succeed. For instance, lawyers often work closely with forensic financial experts to uncover assets that a client's partner concealed. Family lawyers also partner with private investigators, accountants, psychologists and children's experts in their daily operations. Most importantly, professionals make the work of a family lawyer manageable. That last thing a client needs is a jerk-of-all-trades type of family lawyer.

Family Lawyers Prefer Lucrative Cases — Divorce cases involving high profile or wealthy individuals are always attractive to family lawyers. After all, wealthy clients are likely to pay more for the best legal representation. It is true because any family lawyer would jump at the opportunity to represent a wealthy individual. However, it does not mean that a reputable lawyer will refuse to represent an ordinary client in favour of a wealthy one. Notably, family lawyers have a moral obligation not to discriminate against clients based on their financial muscles. Besides, it is the only way to become a household name in the industry.  

For more information, contact a family lawyer near you.