The answer is yes. It’s similar to asking if you need a surgeon for your operation. You really don’t want to operate on yourself, and you really don’t want to represent yourself in court.
The legal system is complicated. No one helps you along the way. People give you advice, and they mean well, but they don’t always know what they’re talking about, and your friend’s divorce results don’t necessarily match yours. All families – parents, their children, their jobs, homes, bank accounts, retirement plans, whatever – are unique. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution in the legal system. The skill is crafting the best solution for your particular situation.
If you don’t handle things right, the consequences can be devastating– custody of a child with the wrong parent, or an unjustified restraining order keeping a person out of his or her home, or being wrongly placed on the State’s registry of domestic violence abusers, or paying too much child support or alimony, or receiving too little child support or alimony. Do NOT just expect “the system” to get things right– tons of mistakes are made because a case was not presented properly. The legal system is a huge bureaucracy and you won’t get much sympathy from overwhelmed court personnel.
I went to law school for three full years, and then studied for the bar exam for another half year. I’ve been navigating the legal system for 35 years.
I’ve learned a lot along the way. There is no way you’ll handle your case nearly as well as me if you have no legal training. I’ve watched people trying to represent themselves in courtrooms for many years, and I almost always cringe because they have no idea what they’re doing.
There’s nothing wrong with meeting with two or three attorneys to see which one you’re most comfortable with. Attorneys also cost money, and I have no magic answer for that. My practice is also a business, and attorneys, including me, charge for their services. But you do need an attorney for your court proceeding.
Contact Our Office
To set up an appointment, contact our office online or call us at 856-627-1990. We are available to meet with you weekdays between 9 am and 5 pm. We won’t take your case unless we know we can help.
