This is our final installment in a series of blog post discussing why spouses are more likely to reach a stable disposition of divorce issues that they find acceptable when they have the benefit of legal counsel from a New Mexico Divorce Law Firm. While this series of blog posts does not constitute a complete discussion of the benefits of legal representation during a divorce, the point a prospective party to a divorce should take away from this discussion is that the consequences of your decision regarding retaining an attorney can be life altering.
Experienced Santa Fe divorce attorneys can alleviate some of the anxiety associated with this important but foreign process.
If you are feeling nervous and worried about the future, you are in good company. The divorce process will alter many of the most fundamental aspects of your life, but the process of divorce is unfamiliar to most parties. Uncertainty about where your children will live, the value of your net worth following divorce and financial support available to take care of you and your children typically instills fear in people. Our New Mexico divorce attorneys have handled hundreds of divorces from simple uncontested divorces to divorces involving parties with high net worth and complicated child custody issues. We use this practical experience to remove some of the mystery involved in the process and establish reasonable expectations about the probable resolution of key issues. Although no New Mexico Divorce Attorney can guarantee the result in a marital dissolution, we can provide a fairly accurate prediction of the range of possibilities and explain the legal and factual grounds upon which those expectations are based. This knowledge can make the process seem more transparent and less arbitrary.
The divorce process can be filled with traps and pitfalls without someone to review settlement offers from your spouse.
The spouse who has been the primary breadwinner in a family often will retain an attorney and suggest a global settlement of all issues. This financially advantaged spouse may maintain close control on the family purse strings and suggest that you both use his attorney to “draft your agreement.” New Mexico Divorce Lawyers are governed by ethical rules that forbid dual representation of both parties in a divorce because of the obvious conflict of interest. This means that the attorney that you spouse is suggesting you trust to be fair is your spouse’s attorney and ethically bound to protect your spouse’s interest. If you have received a proposed marital settlement agreement or even just an informal settlement offer, orally or in letter form, you should never consent or sign anything until you have had the agreement analyzed by an independent attorney who can advice you regarding your legal rights and options.
The above information is provided to illustrate general principles of law and should not be interpreted as a specific legal opinion on an individual case. You should contact experienced legal counsel to get specific legal advice that is based upon your specific circumstances.
We invite you to review the prior parts of this blog post for additional reasons why you need an attorney when you are involved in a New Mexico divorce. If you have further questions about the divorce process or your legal rights, we recommend you contact us directly to obtain a preliminary assessment of your situation. The New Mexico Divorce Law Firm of Jay Goodman & Associates offers a free consultation in our centrally located offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque so that we can discuss your options. Call us today to schedule your free consultation at (505) 989-8117 to learn about your rights and options.
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