Divorce A Brief Overview
If you’re planning to seek a divorce, it’s important to have an experienced divorce attorney to assist you. This is because an attorney that practices family law will be able to apprise you of your rights and responsibilities during the divorce process. Furthermore, they will be able to provide counsel and address any unique legal issues that may arise.
When there are children involved, family law attorneys can provide counsel on the care and custody of the children. On an annual basis, there are 1.5 million children in the United States whose parents become divorced.
There are, of course, a variety of reasons for why couples choose to divorce. In most cases, however, only one of the individuals wants to get divorced. Unilateral divorces actually comprise 80% of divorce cases in the United States.
First marriages often don’t last as long as initially intended. After being married for five years, there is a 20% probability that the marriage will end in divorce or separation. When couples have been married for ten or more years, there is a 33% likelihood that the marriage will end in divorce.
Whether one or both parties want to become divorced, many couples choose to engage in mediation to avoid a court trial. When surveyed, over two-thirds of couples that choose mediation were satisfied with the outcome. The negotiation and mediation of divorce may be preferable for a number of reasons.
One of the reasons why mediation may be the preferred and more effective way to process a divorce pertains to settlement agreements. Over 95% of couples going through the divorce process were able to reach settlement agreements out of court rather than during a lengthy trial.
Ten percent of the United States’ population is divorced. On average, a divorce may take up to a year, and tends to cost between $15,000-to-$30,000.
When preparing to meet with a divorce attorney, you are going to have a number of questions. Here are just a few of the legal issues you might need to discuss with your attorney:
- Alimony
- Allocation of counsel fees incurred
- Child support
- Distribution of marital property
- Grandparent visitation rights
Even when your divorce is amicable, it’s important to have a professional lawyer to provide counsel when needed. Furthermore, using the services of a family law attorney can assist you with handling potential legal issues that may arise.
