Representing Yourself in a Divorce? No Way! Why Retaining Legal Counsel Is Worth It!
Courtrooms all across the country are seeing an increase in the number of unrepresented parties on their dockets. Whether it’s due to the failing economy, the rise in popularity of television shows such as “Judge Judy” which encourage the legal “do it yourself” attitude, or perhaps the belief that the courts will take it easy on those who represent themselves…the amount of people trying to navigate their way through the legal system without a lawyer is on the rise.
While it is easy, (and perhaps self-serving) for a family law attorney to claim that it is in a person’s best interest to hire a lawyer for their divorce or child custody matter, the courts’ decisions in cases where a party appears on their own behalf speak for themselves. Family law is filled with rules and procedures, nuances and intricacies…many of which differ depending on which county, district, state, etc. you are filing in. So, before you decide to go it alone, consider the following Ohio cases in which people chose to do so:
- Hutchinson v. Hutchinson – In this Montgomery County case, the wife chose to
The first of the year is the time that many unhappy couples who are reluctant to break up the family during the holidays officially start their divorces. January is often called the “divorce month.” This trend occurs not only in the United States but in the UK and abroad as well. According to a recent study in England one in five couples had plans to divorce after the holidays.
In the usual divorce or dissolution proceeding, the disposition of the marital residence is often one of the most important decisions in the case and one of the most emotional issues with the exception of “custody” of the minor child or children. One or both parties may have very strong emotional ties to the home and may overlook important financial considerations in their quest to “keep” the family home.
I was pondering a list of various topics for this blog article. I wanted to publish a strong blog article to start 2015. I started a couple and even finished one that wasn’t honestly that memorable. So I decided to hold that one in the “bank” for another less important time of the year. The start of any new year is an obvious time for reflection and to take an inventory of our blessings and shortcomings.
Recently there has been some publicity of individuals expressing their regrets regarding obtaining their divorce. A completely anonymous website, known as 
Traditionally, A princess cut, a pear, a round, or an oval? Should I go to Jared (He went to Jared) or Stafford or Kay, because every kiss begins with Kay, right? How much should I spend? Can I afford a good engagement ring now or should I wait and save 3 months’ salary? Am I going to look cheap if I go to an off brand jeweler or use a family heirloom ring?
Traditionally, when dividing assets in a divorce, each individual looks to their assets obtained during the marriage. When these assets are identified, the process of dividing those assets up then runs its course. Today, with the constantly changing technological field, assets are not merely tangible objects anymore. For example, your iTunes library is not a tangible asset, yet it does have value and you did spend money to amass this library. Even though this asset is not a house, car, jewelry, or even cash, it’s still considered an “asset.” It also doesn’t matter which spouse maintained the library, or who actually purchased the digital assets; as long as they were obtained during the marriage, they qualify as “marital assets” which means they’re treated no different than a car or any other tangible asset.