A series of cut-backs has greatly affected family law proceedings. Areas most affected are legal aid and child maintenance.
Legal aid cuts have resulted in more and more people representing themselves in family law courts and going into complex situations without the aid of a professional. Even seemingly straightforward divorces involve a great deal of legal proceedings to ensure both parties are satisfied. Divorce cases where one or both parties are lacking legal representation divorce proceedings are often lengthy and judges find it very difficult to come to a fair decision.
A divorce lawyer can explain all the proceedings to you, can represent you in court and support you by reducing the stress that you experience. Stress is often caused by not fully understanding what is happening and why, so having a good divorce lawyer on your side will give you confidence.
The other cutback that is affecting families are the changes in the child benefit system. The government is now placing the onus on families to come to their own arrangements regarding child maintenance and contact with each parent. Families are now being charged to use government assistance in collecting child maintenance payments. Therefore making arrangements at the time of the divorce to satisfy both parties and, most importantly, ensure that arrangements are made in the best interests of the children will end up saving both parents money, work and stress. Communicating to a judge through the aid of a good divorce lawyer will ensure that the judge fully understands all the different factors when coming to a decision. Even the calmest people will get emotional and nervous during family court proceedings and this inevitably leads them to making mistakes that could be costly in the future. If full arrangements are made for any children at the time of a divorce then both parties know what is expected of them and have legal backing if one party does not come good on the agreed terms.
A good divorce lawyer is vital to ensure you are treated fairly and are not left in financial difficulty at the time of a divorce. A lawyer will also help the whole process run smoothly and give you more time to get on with rebuilding your life and looking after your family.