Assume that you are served with Rhode Island divorce papers. The question people usually ask first is this, "Do I have to hire a Rhode Island divorce lawyer?"
If you don't think of that one, you might consider worrying because you are not thinking about protecting yourself at all. Yet by the same token if you somehow think that by hiring a divorce lawyer that you are "all set", I urge you to think again. In my professional opinion as a lawyer who has dedicated his legal career to Rhode Island Divorce I can tell you with a high degree of certainty the if you think that as long as you have the money to pay your lawyer you can just lay it on his or her shoulders and you will be fine then "Think again!"
I'll try to address those statements in a more detailed article. Suffice it to say that no one protects your interests better than you because YOU are the one who has part of your life at stake, not the lawyer.
Yet to answer the question, "Do you have to get a lawyer?", the answer is a resounding "No."
The fact is that you have the right to represent yourself if you choose to do so. In many instances I recommend that people do precisely that. Do I recommend that you try to represent yourself without some reasonable measure of legal guidance? Absolutely not! It's just about as bad as calling an electrician to immediately deal with a huge plumbing leak.
In the very least, if you are going to represent yourself in a Rhode Island divorce case you need to have some guidance from a licensed Rhode Island lawyer not just at the beginning of your divorce but along the way as your divorce progresses as well. My suggestion? Seek out a Rhode Island lawyer who has practiced divorce law in the Rhode Island family courts regularly for the past 3 to 5 years at a minimum and ask him or her to coach you and advise you through the divorce process.
If you are determined to represent yourself without any experienced legal guidance, then my prayers are with you.
Am I being dramatic here? I don't think so. You see recently I found the list of questions that I came up with when I entered the divorce process before I became a lawyer or knew anything about Rhode Island divorce and family law.
1. What paperwork do I need to file?
2. How do I fill all these things out?
3. One page says to put in the Defendant's name, another page right after it says to write the name and address of the Respondent. Who is the Respondent?
4. How do I fill out this financial form of assets and liabilities? I'm not living at home anymore and I'm giving my wife every dime I make. Do I fill out income from my paycheck? Do I put zero because I don't keep any of it? Do I put both of our incomes down? What about the assets? If the mortgage is in my name but both our names are on the house deed then do I put the value as 1/2 of the house? Can I use the tax valuation or do I have to pay for an appraisal just to finish this form?
5. Whose expenses are these? Are they mine or for our whole family at the house?
6. When do these Notice of Automatic Orders apply to me?
7. How does the Rhode divorce process work?
8. How does my wife get the papers? Does she get all of these papers?
9. What is this "Nominal Date" that is shown on the Summons and why do I need to complete two of them?
10. Is everything split equally by the judge? Will I get half or could I get less?
|11. If I'm agreeable, how long will this Rhode Island divorce take?
12. Can my wife keep me out of my house now that I am not sleeping there anymore?
13. When and how often can I see my children?
14. If the judge doesn't divide things equally then how does the divorce judge figure out who gets what and who is going to pay the different bills?
15. We lived paycheck to paycheck, how much child support do I provide for my children and will I have to pay alimony? If I do, how long will that go.
16. If I find out I'm going to be laid off from my job, what do I do then?
17. Is there any way the kids can stay in the house?
18. Does Rhode Island law say I can't do certain things once the divorce is filed?
19. The Summons says my wife will have to appear and answer the divorce complaint. Does that mean we show up with our witnesses that day?
20. If I use "irreconcilable differences" as my reason for divorce, how do I prove that? Do I need paper evidence to give the judge?
21. What if I can't survive? Can I return to my house until I figure out some other living arrangements?
22. If I agreed to give my wife all my paycheck and I put it in writing, will the court force me to abide by that?
These are only a few of hundreds (if not thousands) of questions that you or anyone else faced with divorce might wonder about like I did.
Divorce isn't a cakewalk. Think about it. It involves your life and what you have accumulated with your spouse, children (if you have any), assets, debts, family relationships, emotions, mental health, change of lifestyle, how you live, living alone versus living together, your clothes, where your children may live, how often you can see your children, whether the divorce is going to hurt your children or your spouse is going to turn into your worst nightmare, etc.... Yes, I am jumping all over here but my point is fairly clear a Rhode Island divorce is important.
No matter what you do for your life's work or what you've tried to make out of your life, nothing helps you more than knowledge of the fundamentals. Divorce is no different than any other task that you are faced with the more understanding you have about it, the better you feel about how you can handle it, the better you can deal with it emotionally and the more control you are likely to have over things that are actually in your control in the divorce process. Understanding the fundamentals of Rhode Island divorce and knowledge about the process and your legal rights is crucial.
Think about how hard it would be to read a book written in english if you didn't know the alphabet or understand word combinations or what they meant. Without those fundamentals you might as well be a balloon blowing in a harsh wind in a forest. You'd be out of control with no destination always fearful if you were going to hit a branch and pop, never to be the same again.
That's what I do for people in divorce situations. Whether you plan on hiring a lawyer to represent you or not, and whether or not it's me you want to ask . . . there is one thing that I believe strongly in. It's this . . . if YOU going to go through a divorce, YOU need to be fully advised of the FUNDAMENTALS of the Rhode Island Divorce Process, YOU need to know your basic Legal Rights, and YOU need the answers to the questions that are most important to YOU or that worry YOU the most!
In every sport, educational class, or business venture it is CRUCIAL to know the fundamentals and to be informed about them by someone who knows them well . . . THE COACH!
You are my focus! That is precisely why I developed my Coaching Program. People need to know the FUNDAMENTALS of Rhode Island divorce. They relate to YOU and YOUR situation! If you go into a divorce without personally knowing them yourself, then it doesn't matter if you hire a Rhode Island divorce lawyer or not, you're still a balloon blowing in the wind. . . . now you're just doing so and you have to pay a bill as well.
This program could take you from the beginning of an amicable, uncontested Rhode Island Divorce to the end successfully. Yet more importantly it provides one of the greatest things missing from divorce practices these days. . . the FUNDAMENTALS! So I've built a program to inform you of what every person should know about Rhode Island divorce if they are to help themselves and understand what their divorce attorney is doing for them.
Without the fundamentals I offer, what can you expect in your divorce? Here's a few of the lovely parting gifts you could take with you:
Frustration
Anger
Larger Attorneys' fees
Loss of Control of not just your case but Your Life!
A Nervous Breakdown
Less than your share of the assets
More debt to pay
Confusion and Lack of Understanding
Emotional turmoil
Depression . . . and more.
I'm Attorney Christopher Pearsall and I am happy to consider myself "THE Rhode Island Divorce Coach." I invented the Coaching Program for everyone. The fundamentals, educational and legal advice session is one (1) hour and currently costs only $135.00.
It's not for profit. It's not for any glory or fame. It's because people need and deserve help from someone who cares and someone who has been there!
It's the one thing I wish I would have had for myself in my own divorce before I even became a lawyer and though it's taken me many years to get here, I'm glad I can do something good to give back to the community by offering an extremely valuable service for much less than my services should go for on the open market.
I do undertake clients for representations but no matter what, I recommend and require that everyone who comes to me take this initial educational and legal advice Coaching Session. It is literally the most essential and necessary part of ANY divorce!
I look forward to hearing from you and helping you understand the fundamentals so you can make the right decisions for YOU!
Authored By:
Christopher A. Pearsall, Attorney-at-Law
Rhode Island's Full-Time Divorce* Lawyer is Now
Rhode Island's Only Divorce and Family Law Coach!!
Discover the Tremendous Benefits You Receive by
Participating in Family Law Coaching Sessions!
Go to RhodeIslandDivorceCoach.com
Call (401) 632-6976 Now
to
Schedule Your Low-Cost Rhode Island Divorce* or Family Law* Coaching Session!
Copyright 2009 to Present. Christopher A. Pearsall, Esquire
Offering Divorce and Family Law Coaching for a New Millenium!
* The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers in the general practice of law. The court does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any field of practice.
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