The Price of Not Having a Lawyer

Once in a while potential clients ask me whether they need a lawyer in order to handle their divorce.  I tell them that although there is no legal requirement to have an attorney, if you have contested issues or unclear on property settlement issues, you may want to consult with an attorney.  Once I had a client who did not have an attorney.  He signed the divorce documents on his own.  He was stuck paying alimony and "property settlement" which essentially was alimony for over 10 years.  In addition, he got no tax benefits for paying his "property settlement" which was several times larger than his alimony and for all purposes was alimony.  I know he regretted signing the final paperwork without a benefit of a consultation with an experienced family lawyer.

Don't let that happen to you.