Do you need legal advice for divorce? Maybe. But sometimes all you need is legal information.
If you have a simple case and just need to get divorced, then you probably do not need legal advice. You just need information on where to get the divorce forms, how to fill them, and then where to file them when you are done.
You can get this sort of legal information from books, court websites, and law firm websites like this one. However, you will not get legal advice for divorce from the internet.
In this post you will learn what legal advice is, when do you need it, where to get it, and whose legal advice you should avoid.
What is legal advice?
Advice is an opinion from someone not immediately concerned, as to what could or should be done about a problem. So legal advice is such an opinion about a legal problem.
When do you need legal advice?
You need legal advice when you have a specific legal problem, and you want to know what to do.
For instance, you want to move your kids out of state after your divorce. Would you be able to do it? This is a specific legal problem. The answer will be different for different situations.
Say you live in Baggs and want to move your kids to Denver. You may not be able to do it, because it is difficult to get to Denver from Baggs. Therefore, your move would impact the amount of time your ex will get to see the kids.
However, if you live in Rock Springs, which is much further from Denver, you might be able to make the move. Especially if you have plenty of money, and you can afford to put the kids on a plane every other weekend.
If you need help deciding what to do in your specific situation, then you need legal advice.
Where should you get legal advice for divorce?
You get legal advice from a lawyer, or maybe an experienced paralegal. (Just remember that not every person who works in a law office is a paralegal).
However, if you want legal advice for your divorce, then you should talk to a divorce lawyer.
Whose legal advice should you avoid?
You should not get legal advice from your friends who went through a divorce. Your friends are not disinterested in your situation. Your friends are your friends. They want to make you feel better. They want to share your pain with you.
The problem is that their divorce is not your divorce. Their spouse is not like your spouse. Your kids are not like their kids. Their divorce was about them, and that was their experience. They will give you advice about their situation, not yours.
You should use your friends for what a lawyer cannot give you. You should ask your friends about how to deal with the loss of a marriage, about co-parenting the kids, about dealing with the financial problems created by divorce.
Let your friends be your friends. Lean on them for emotional support. That is what good friends are good for.
By Steve Harton