At Pinellas Family Lawyer, we provide strategic legal counsel to protect your rights, ensure a fair settlement, and navigate the complexities of Florida divorce law.
Before filing for divorce in Florida, hiring an experienced Pinellas County divorce lawyer can make a significant difference in the outcome of your case. Divorce involves complex legal and financial decisions, including property division, child custody, alimony, and asset protection. Without proper legal guidance, you may unknowingly agree to unfavorable terms that could impact your future.
The Costly Mistake of Representing Yourself in Family Court
People sometimes call our law firm after they realize a trial has gone wrong. They’ve tried to represent themselves pro se (without an attorney) and discover that they should have hired an attorney sooner as the trial continues. They don’t understand the rules of procedure, so their evidence doesn’t get let in or considered by the court. They don’t understand the law, so the evidence they present is not relevant to the decision the judge has to make. Maybe they argue that a parent shouldn’t see their child because they didn’t pay child support. Since the other parent refused to pay child support, they didn’t follow a parenting plan issued by the court. However, the law in Florida states, ”When a parent who is ordered to pay child support or alimony fails to pay child support or alimony, the parent who should have received the child support or alimony may not refuse to honor the time-sharing schedule presently in effect between the parents.” Florida Statute 61.13(4)(a) All of these pitfalls could have been avoided if they had hired an experienced family law attorney before going to court.
The Value of Legal Expertise: Seeing the Law in Everyday Life
People pay attorneys for their expertise. But what is expertise? Being an expert in your field means having an extensive base knowledge of the area of practice and the surrounding rules, laws, and practice preferences. An expert not only knows how to do a job, but they see the world through a different lens, a lens focused on their expertise. When firefighters drive down a street, they may notice every fire hydrant and fire hazard. A doctor may drive down the same street and notice the poor posture of someone walking while mentally preparing for a complex surgery the next day. A lawyer may drive down the same road and see premises liability issues from broken sidewalks to wondering if the officer on the side of the road had probable cause to put a suspect into handcuffs and have them on the ground. An engineer may drive down the same road and admire the layout of the sidewalks and light posts.
An expert family law attorney will see your case from a different perspective than you or even a lawyer who only practices in personal injury lawsuits or business law.
“After practicing family law for years, I have a hard time turning off the family law attorney mindset wherever I go at this point in my career. I talk to people with parenting issues and think about the best interest factors, what motions may need to be filed, and whether someone could be in contempt if they already have a court-ordered parenting plan.” -Founding Partner, Roland D. Boyd III, Esq.
Why You Need a Family Law Expert Before Filing for Divorce
So, why hire a law firm with experts in family law before getting a divorce? Not only can a divorce expert guide you through the process and explain how the decisions you make will affect your case or your settlement, but they can also handle your case from beginning to end to relieve the stress of managing deadlines, filing motions, ensuring paperwork has been completed correctly, and knowing and understanding the rules of procedure that govern family law cases.
If you can’t reach a settlement with your ex and have to appear in court, your lawyer can represent you and help steer the ship, so to speak. Your lawyer can question witnesses, object when you are asked questions that you should not have to answer and ask the court to exclude evidence that should not be allowed by law or that may violate the rules. Before a hearing even begins, parties often must exchange exhibits. A client may not know which evidence will be necessary for their case without an attorney. A divorce lawyer may review transcripts from depositions, medical records, financial records, or text messages between parties to determine which key pieces of evidence should be presented at trial.
Generally speaking, you only get one trial or final hearing; if things go wrong, you may be unable to correct them after the fact. Some cases may be able to be appealed, but not simply because you realized you were unprepared for trial after the trial is over. Evidence that wasn’t objected to at trial may be allowed in permanently. That same evidence may not have been allowed to be presented if a lawyer had been there to represent you. Realizing you should have hired a lawyer after a court order is entered against you is too late. Motions for rehearing and appeals are limited by law as to when they can be heard and what issues can be reviewed. Some mistakes cannot be undone.
Contact a Florida Divorce Lawyer
You wouldn’t hire your child’s pediatrician to perform heart surgery on you, nor would you perform the surgery yourself. So, why would you represent yourself in court for your divorce? Why would you hire a solo practitioner who handles mostly personal injury to handle your child custody case? You wouldn’t, or at least shouldn’t. Contact Pinellas Family Lawyer to find out how we can help you with your divorce or child custody case and ensure your case is handled correctly the first time.