How Can People Unintentionally Hurt Their Interests in trying to Rush Through a Divorce?

Rushing through the legal process is understandable when people are going through what usually is the worst time of their life. Again, they need to think of the long-term implications their divorce is going to have on their ability to support themselves and what assets they will have to retire on. Some clients think, “If I’m nice to my spouse during the process and give them everything they want, it will be a short-term payment for a long-term gain.” Unfortunately, short-term pain in the family court usually turns into long-term pain. It’s not always fair the way things play out.

I describe people going through a divorce as being in a fog, and they need someone to take their hand, instead of running wild through the fog to get to the other side, not worrying about what will happen. We hold their hand in coordination with parents and counselors; I mean, it takes a team to get through this process. When people come into our office seeking an attorney, we don’t just guide them through the process legally and handle the long-term implications; we help them develop a team. We give referrals every day to clients based on their area of need, like tax issues, for instance. While this can add time to the process, we’ve never had a client call us back and say, “I hate that it took a couple of more months than what it otherwise would have.” If we can get them through the fog and leave through that process appropriately, it’s going to pay off in the long run, even if it’s hard for them to see that at the time.

We worked with one client whose ex had a tendency to file motions all the time. She came to us and said, “Justin, I think my future is in Florida. I’ve got family there and a job down there.” She had legitimate reasons for going. She wasn’t just going to get away from her ex. While we prefer people to remain our clients forever, we referred her to a good Florida attorney. Not only did that allow her and the kids to move to a place where they wanted to be, but it also prevented the dad from filing motions in Indiana, which gave them all long-term sanity. The case is now centered in Florida. When one parent is acting irrationally and filing motions just to keep things stirred up, we can help the other parent and the kids get away, on top of stopping some of the court activity. Once they live in their new state for six months, it becomes their home state. There’s nothing I love more than to be able to refer them to another professional, and it’s much less likely now that the dad will hire a Florida attorney and go down and file motions there. Relocation cases can sometimes bring peace to the family that they haven’t had because some of these divorces are non-stop. It’s rewarding to help people through the process and get them long-term sanity, not just short-term.

Why Is It Critical to Hire Experienced Legal Counsel to Assist in Interstate Family Law Matters?

We sit in a position of advantage. In many of the cases I deal with, the other party had to hire two attorneys because not all lawyers keep up with educational requirements in both states and can apply the different rules. We can be a one-stop shop for people who have interstate needs, meaning they pay one retainer, not two retainers. With two attorneys, sometimes the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, so we provide a unique solution. Clients can come to our office and, regardless of what interstate issues they have and regardless of whether it deals with property division and child support, they don’t have to deal with any more attorneys than they have to.

Having a central location where they can deal with all those things is really what we pride ourselves on. Also, we can be more efficient and knowledgeable and can file motions without having to sync up with multiple law offices, which gives us a swift advantage in moving through these cases over people who have to hire law firms in both states. We have multiple attorneys here who practice in multiple states, so we can be that one resource people can use to get through this time in their lives.

For more information on Pitfalls of Rushing Through a Divorce Case, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (812) 302-0539 today.