Anaheim Divorce Lawyers in Practice

Anaheim Divorce Lawyers in Practice 204 S Illinois St, Anaheim, CA 92805 (714) 410-5333 [email protected] www.anaheim-divorce-lawyers.com DO YOU NEED A LAWYER? Anaheim Divorce Lawyers To Help You Understand Your Rights Do you think you need a lawyer? Understand how you can determine whether you should hire a lawyer, how the lawyer/client relationship works, ethical rules that lawyers are bound by, and alternative methods of obtaining legal assistance without having a private lawyer. In addition, learn more about how to find a lawyer, how lawyers commonly charge for their services and questions to ask a lawyer when meeting for the first time.  Determining the Need for Legal Assistance Do you require a lawyer's assistance? Learn about the role of a lawyer and how he or she may be able to assist you with legal issues involving criminal law, family law, personal injury law, disability law and other practice areas.  Pro Bono and Alternative Options Pro bono services are sometimes offered as a way for individuals who cannot afford legal services to obtain such services. Learn about pro bono laws, whether you may qualify for pro bono assistance and other ways that you may be able to take care of legal issues if you are unable to afford a private lawyer.

 Lawyers' Ethical Rules Lawyers have their own set of regulations to follow. Learn more about rules may apply in a certain case and the entities responsible for implementing and regulations such rules. In addition, learn how to check an attorney's credentials and ensure validity.  Lawyer/Client Relationship Understand the lawyer/client relationship, as well as privileges and protections in place for clients. Learn about the differences in paralegals and lawyers and how to change lawyers if you are not satisfied.  Payment for Legal Services Understand the usual ways that lawyers charge for their services, the use of retainer fee agreements, and the reason why retainer fees are often required. In addition, learn more about how fees are usually determined and how to dispute unnecessary fees. If you and your spouse have decided to end your marriage, one of the first questions  you'll have is whether you need a divorce lawyer. It's not a simple question and the  answer will depend on your particular situation. As a general rule, the less that you have to rely on the courts to solve your problems,  the more smoothly the divorce will go. But do you need a divorce lawyer? The following  information will help you make an informed decision. You May Not Need a Divorce Lawyer for Everything:  Making Decisions on Your Own If you're able to work together with your spouse to resolve the legal issues, you may not  need a lawyer's help. These issues include:  Child custody of your minor children

 Child support  Alimony  Division of property Working together with your spouse through the divorce process can have a lot of  advantages, including:  You'll have better control over the vital issues that will be raised during your divorce  instead of leaving them up to the court.  You'll end up saving quite a bit of time and money by not having to hire a divorce lawyer  for all aspects of your divorce.  Children going through a divorce often have a smoother transition if their parents can  work out the divorce themselves. If you and your spouse can come to terms regarding the bigger issues in your divorce,  you can generally ask the court to grant you a divorce in writing. This is what is typically  called an uncontested divorce. Depending upon the state you live in, you may not even have to appear in court to have  your divorce finalized, if you can show that the divorce is uncontested and you have  worked everything out. However, many states do require short court hearings when  minor children are involved. Do I Need a Lawyer for an Uncontested Divorce? If you and your spouse agree on all the terms of your divorce, you can file for  an uncontested divorce without the help of a lawyer. However, it is always advisable to  at least have a lawyer look through your agreement in an uncontested divorce to make  sure that your rights and interests are protected. A lawyer can also make sure that your  agreement is likely to be accepted by the court, and that you are not overlooking any  important issues that could arise down the road. Keep Tensions Low: Divorce Lawyers Can Fan the  Flames or Provide a Calm Perspective Because of their very nature, divorces tend to stoke intense emotions. If you do decide to hire a divorce lawyer, it's crucial that you take your time and hire the  right one for your situation. Do you need an attorney to fight against your spouse in  court, or one that will help you and your spouse work out an agreement together? Every situation demands a different approach. Be sure to ask any potential attorney many questions during your consultation such as:

 Would your attorney support a decision to seek settlement outside of court?  Does your attorney have a track record of battling out even the most minor issues in  front of a judge?  Does your attorney prefer collaborative options to fighting in court? Lawyers are charged to be zealous advocates for their clients' interests, so you need to  be sure that you make your interests clear to your attorney at the outset. There are also alternative options to hiring a divorce lawyer in the traditional sense,  such as limited­scope representation, collaborative divorce, and mediation: Limited­Scope Representation As noted above, even in an uncontested divorce, it's a good idea for each party to have  a lawyer at least look over the agreement to check for problems and legal risks. Many  people don't realize that you can hire a lawyer to help with only certain things in your  divorce such as:  Advising you on what a fair agreement would be  Reviewing your agreement  Attending mediation with you  Drafting your divorce agreement in a format that is accepted by the court  Filing your divorce for you  Attending your divorce hearing with you if you have minor children or an attorney is  otherwise required in your case When you hire a lawyer to help you with certain aspects of your divorce, it is referred to  as limited­scope representation. Lawyers who offer \"unbundled\" services often do so at  a flat fee, which is usually more cost­effective than hiring a lawyer to represent you for  full­scope representation. Keep in mind that both you and your spouse will need to hire your own lawyer as it is  against the rules of professional conduct in nearly all states for a lawyer to represent  two parties with conflicting interests, which is the case in a divorce. You benefit from  having a lawyer who can advocate for you and is looking out for your best interests  instead of staying neutral. Note that divorce lawyers often offer mediation services, and  in that case may assist both you and your spouse as a third­party neutral, but the  mediator cannot then go on to represent one or both of you (in most states). Collaborative Divorce In short, collaborative practice is an agreement among the spouses and attorneys not to litigate and, instead, focus on settlement. Generally speaking, collaborative practice 

lawyers will only agree to represent a client when the other side has also hired or  agrees to hire a collaborative practice attorney. In addition, when both spouses have hired their attorneys, an agreement must usually  be signed that states that if a settlement cannot be reached and the divorce is headed  towards litigation, the spouses must find new attorneys. Such an agreement negates  any financial incentives for attorneys to prolong discussions or push for litigation and  generally expedites settlement. Divorce Mediation Mediators are trained at getting both sides to set aside emotions and focus down on the facts that are essential to a successful divorce. Unlike lawyers, mediators have the  advantage of working with both spouses at the same time, which can cut down on  unnecessary communication delay. Mediators also have the advantage that they are not advocating for either side. Because of this, mediators can often reach successful settlements in divorce cases much faster  than lawyers. Note that some people bring their lawyers to mediation, and lawyers can  represent your side during mediation. A combination approach may be best in certain  situations. When You May Need a Divorce Lawyer There are certain situations when hiring a divorce lawyer makes sense, and you should  probably do it. You should probably hire an attorney if:  There's a problem with abuse  You think your spouse is lying about certain issues or being vindictive  Your spouse has retained an attorney  Your divorce involves children or complicated financial issues If you're not financially able to hire a divorce lawyer, you should contact your local legal  aid office or a local bar association. You may be able to qualify to get free or reduced  costs of legal representation. If you do not qualify, you may still be able to ask questions of an attorney throughout your divorce proceeding. Fearing Violence If you are facing a domestic violence situation, get yourself to safety and talk to a  lawyer. Anyone facing domestic violence during divorce should work with a divorce  lawyer.

If you fear domestic violence, think that your spouse may harm you or your children, or  take your property, you should take out a temporary restraining order immediately and  take yourself and your children to a safe place. If you take your children away for their  safety without getting a temporary restraining order, your spouse may accuse you of  kidnapping. Also, if you need money in order to get to safety, you can take money out of any joint  accounts that you have with your spouse. However, be sure not to take more out than  you need, and try to keep it below half of what is in the account. Also, file a court action  for immediate spousal support. Do You Need a Divorce Lawyer? Talk to One and Find  Out Your Legal Needs If you've read this and you're still asking yourself, \"do I need a divorce lawyer?\" the  answer may be yes. With so much at stake, mainly if children are involved, a lawyer will  be able to provide you with clear answers to your important questions about property  distribution, child support, and more. Start the dissolution process, or at least get a  sense of whether you need an attorney's help, by calling an experienced divorce  attorney near you.