What Does a Divorce Attorney Do?

Divorce Attorney in Miami, Florida

07 May What Does a Divorce Attorney Do?

Posted at 06:30h in Miami Family Law by

A divorce attorney represents clients who are considering the dissolution of their marriage. The tasks and actions a divorce attorney does depend a lot on the complexity of the particular case and includes dividing assets, settling alimony and child support concerns, arranging for the custody of children. Since divorce is an extremely difficult challenge for all parties involved in the process, a divorce attorney must also be able to work with and manage the client’s potentially powerful emotions.

Determining the Facts Before Filing for Divorce

Before a client files for divorce, the divorce attorney will schedule a meeting with the individual to discuss all the facts and examine the details of the particular divorce case. This step is vital in being able to determine whether the attorney will be able to achieve the client’s goals.

During this preliminary investigation, the lawyer will determine the client’s goals and predict probable outcomes. Additionally the attorney will outline the procedure and notify the client as to any responsibilities he or she may have throughout the process.

In the event that a prenuptial agreement was signed before marriage, the attorney will also help interpret the document. Having such a document can both expedite and simplify the frequently complex process of divorce.

When you meet with your attorney, you’ll want to learn what court you’ll need to file your divorce in and what you need to do if you can’t find your spouse. This second question is important because the spouse must be officially notified of the divorce in order for it to be legally valid.

Filing for Divorce

After the preliminary investigation and once the client is ready to seek a divorce, the attorney will be responsible for filing a summons and a complaint (sometimes called a petition) with the appropriate court. The court will depend on where you and your spouse live. As legal documents, the summons and complaint notify the person being divorce from the reasons for the legal separation. In the petition for dissolution, the parties will be referred to as “petitioner” and “respondent.” The spouse filing for divorce is the petitioner.

Under most circumstances, the spouse being filed against must be officially notified. The preferred method is to have the divorce complaint handed to them in person. Once the spouse has been served the complaint or petition, the court process for ending the divorce can begin.

After the party has been notified that the divorce process has been initiated, he or she has the opportunity to file a response to the claims, present their own defense against the claims or provide her or her own unique claims against the spouse.

The Attorney’s Role in an Uncontested Divorce

When both parties agree as to the terms of a divorce, this uncontested divorce usually does not go to trial and instead involves settlement outside of court through the use of a Marital Settlement Agreement and Parenting Plan. Throughout this process, the divorce attorney will be able to represent the client to ensure their rights and property are protected.

In general during an uncontested divorce, the spouses agree to the major issues in a divorce including:

-how each parent will share parenting responsibility and time

-how long and how much any child support payments will be

-how long and how much any alimony or spousal support will be

-how property and assets will be divided

-how all debt and liabilities will be divided

When spouses are able to come to an agreement on these major issues, court appearances will unlikely be necessary.

No uncontested divorce is the same as any other, and they aren’t necessarily always smoothly resolved. When no minor children and few assets are shared between the spouses, the divorce case is usually much smoother. Additionally, self-supporting spouses or for those who can easily become such find the divorce process much more expedient. Some states have particular procedures for spouses in such situations to make things easier.

During an uncontested divorce the attorneys from each party will represent the clients in order to reach an agreement outside of the courthouse. The attorney becomes the client’s advocate and can negotiate the division of assets and liabilities for the client and work with the spouse’s attorney to come to a mutually agreed upon solution.

The Attorney’s Role in a Contested Divorce

Much more complicated than an uncontested divorce, a contested divorce happens when one or both of the spouses are unable to come to an agreement on one or many of the issues concerning their divorce. In this form of divorce, the spouses end up in court where they rely on a judge to make the final decisions for them.

Since the spouses have not come to an agreement on the issues, and the case must go to court, contested divorces can take much longer and will require more services from the divorce attorney.

The first step the divorce attorneys must perform when dealing with a contested divorce is to use various legal measures to gather all information from the spouse and third-party witnesses such as written questions, subpoenas, and depositions. After adequate information has been gathered the attorney will walk the client through pre-trial legal motions and any necessary hearings.

Before going to court, the divorce attorneys from both parties will work to submit settlement proposals and negotiate terms in an effort to prevent going to court. Many times some of the issues can be worked out reducing the amount of time needed in court. Divorce judges advise spouses to work out as many issues as possible before going to court. Out of court settlement can save both time and money for the couple seeking divorce.

In the event that a settlement cannot be reached, the clients and their attorneys will prepare for trial and argue the case in defense of their clients. Both parties present witnesses which are cross-examined by both parties’ attorneys. Closing arguments will be presented and at the end of the court procedure, the judge will make a decision finalizing the divorce. If one of the parties feels like the decision was wrong, they have the right to dispute it and appeal.

Child Custody and Support

When a couple has minor children together, the chances of having an uncontested divorce decrease. Child custody issues are at the front and center during any divorce process. Many important decisions that influence the future of the child or children must be settled.

A divorce attorney will work with a parent to help them both articulate their wants and needs and help them achieve their goals throughout the divorce. Spouses will need to determine whether they will share joint-custody or if one parent will have sole custody and the other visitation rights. Additionally parenting time must be divided as well as decision making power for medical, education and similar life issues.

The best interests of the child will be determined in court. Each state has different ways of evaluating the child’s best interests. The divorce attorney will help the client identify factors that could help their child custody and support case in court. Having a divorce attorney during a child custody hearing is vital to achieving the goals and protecting your legal rights.

Divorce and Dividing Up Property

Regardless of whether a divorce is contested or not, in most cases the spouses must determine how they are going to split up their shared assets. Property includes anything that was bought together like real estate property, paper assets like stocks and bonds, as well as jewelry and other belongings. The divorce attorney plays an instrumental role in protecting the client’s rights and ensuring a fair agreement is being reached during this step.

Alimony is another issue the divorce attorney will be integral in helping resolve. The goal of alimony or spousal support payments is to help a lower-income spouse or a spouse who has been out of the workforce get through the divorce process and transition to a self-supporting position. The divorce attorney will help determine how much alimony payments should be and for how long they should be paid. Over the last decade alimony has become less popular with courts and if spouses earn similar incomes, it is infrequently awarded.

The role of the divorce attorney is diverse and integral to achieving the client’s goals during the difficult and complex process of divorce. Having an attorney on your side before filing for divorce can ensure your rights are protected from the beginning and the process is initiated properly. An attorney can also increase the chance of settling outside of court as well as helping spouses reach agreements on challenging issues like child custody and the division of property.

Do you have any questions about how a Florida divorce attorney could help your situation? Give us a call at +1.786.309.8588.

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What Does a Divorce Attorney Do?

Home > Divorce Attorney in Miami, Florida

26 Mar Divorce Attorney in Miami, Florida

Posted at 14:44h in by

Divorce Attorney in Miami, Florida

Our family law firm is proud to be able to provide dissolution of marriage services to Floridians.

divorce lawyers in miami fl

Simplified Divorce Petitions

If you are considering petitioning for divorce in Florida, in terms of financial and time costs, the Simplified Dissolution Proceeding is your best case scenario. The simplified divorce procedure is excellent for a couple that does not have children/dependents, does not have a spouse seeking alimony and does not have any property in dispute.

Read more about Florida’s Simplified Divorce Process 

Uncontested Divorces

Due to certain circumstances, you may not quite qualify for a Simplified Petition for Divorce, but you are in agreement on all issues with your soon to be ex-spouse and simply want the divorce process over as quickly as possible. If that is the case, your next best bet is the Uncontested Divorce Process. The uncontested divorce process is typically handled through the completion of a Marital Settlement Agreement at the outset of the divorce process.

Marital settlement agreements are essentially just written contracts made between a couple which plans to dissolve their marriage, in which the both parties enter into a carefully drafted, legally binding, written agreement which sets forth their marital, property, and support rights, and, if the parties have minor children, will also address matters concerning their custody, visitation and support.

Read more about Uncontested Divorce 

Divorce Attorney in Miami, Florida
Divorce Lawyer in Miami, Florida

Contested Divorces

It isn’t exactly a big secret that couples in the midst of a divorce aren’t often on agreeable terms. As a result, a large percentage of divorces begin as “Contested Divorces”.  These are petitions in which there may be a few issues in dispute, such as the Child Custody, the Equitable Distribution of the Marital Estate, etc. If those issues can’t be resolved amicably during the course of the initial stages of the divorce filing, we will need to go to trial on the disputed issues.

Read more About the Florida Divorce Process 

Thinking of Getting a Divorce in Florida?

Looking for a divorce attorney in Miami, Florida? Going through a divorce can be one of the most challenging processes a person can face, with emotions, finances, families, and more in the balance and you don’t want to go through this process alone.

When you are in the middle of dissolving a marriage, emotions are bound to run wild from both parties. Stress, fear, anger, and heartbreak can come to define this difficult time. So why add confusion, uncertainty, and frustration to the mix? Trying to figure out your divorce on your own, or through the consultation of a lawyer that isn’t familiar with the nitty-gritty details of Florida law, will add unnecessary grief and stress for you and your loved ones. So go with a divorce attorney in Miami, Florida that has the knowledge and experience necessary to provide the right divorce services to assure that your separation isn’t more stressful and emotional than it has to be.

Hurt feelings aren’t all that’s in the balance when a divorce gets underway. When joined in marriage, a couple’s finances are joined in a unique way as well, and dealing with the financial implications of a divorce can be one of the hardest things about ending a marital union. Who gets what, how accounts are to be divided, who deals with debt and other questions dealing with money and finances aren’t just important questions from an economical perspective: they are important legal questions, too. We will help you tackle the challenges of handling tough financial questions during a divorce.

Divorce, by definition, has a huge impact on your family structure. Issues of custody sometimes prove to be a challenge, as the interests of children can be hard to balance from a legal perspective when separation occurs. Where will young children spend their time? Which parent is responsible for what expenses, and how are parental responsibilities balanced with visitation access? Questions of family, custody, and household can be taxing and hard to tackle, and you will need the right legal representation to assure that divorce ends with what’s right for your family.

So how exactly do we meet all of these needs of clients undergoing marital separation? The key is the provision of professional, experienced, and tailored divorce services. If you and your partner are separating amicably, and there aren’t big debates over property ownership or other issues, then we can provide the services needed to walk you through a simplified petition for dissolution. If there are significant properties to divide, issues of custody, or other things that need to be professionally mediated, we can provide the services you will need to file for an uncontested divorce. In the worst-case scenario, if you and your partner have serious disagreements about the division of assets and responsibilities, and your divorce proceedings are complicated, we provide the right divorce services to partner with you in the contested dissolution process.

No matter how complicated the legal aspects of your case is, our office can help you reach a legally binding and sound resolution. From handling the interpretation of prenuptial agreements to helping each partner define custody roles and rights to debating the separation of properties, assets, and debts, the legal questions of marriage dissolution are too complicated and important to approach without the right legal help.  

But don’t worry: just because we pride ourselves on providing top-level legal service doesn’t mean that we are robots. We know that the dissolution can be very challenging, emotionally –  for everyone involved, and we can guarantee that we will do all that is in our power to try and make the process as smooth as possible.  Our experience in providing tailored and professional services means that we know what it takes to make divorce easier for everyone, not more difficult than need be.

When you need professional legal services from a divorce attorney in Miami, Florida, look no further than our office. We will do everything it takes to the right kind of legal services to help you face the economic, emotional, and family challenges that the process can create.

Give us a call at +1.786.309.8588 for a free consultation.


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