FAQs
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
Utilize a Free Consultation to Meet With a Lawyer To be sure, it is important, for purposes of maintaining a healthy attorney-client relationship, that the lawyer and the client are comfortable working with one another. The choice of a private attorney by a client can help facilitate that comfort in ways that an appointed lawyer simply cannot. What about civil cases? In civil cases, such as family law matters, divorce, etc., the choice of whether to hire a lawyer is driven by somewhat different considerations. In civil cases, since there is no jail time at stake, the law does not provide for a free attorney like it does in criminal cases. If a person wants to have a lawyer represent him or her in say, a divorce action, then he or she must hire their own lawyer, or otherwise represent themselves. We often are asked, can I represent myself in a divorce? The answer is yes. The laws of the State of Florida are set up in such a way to allow so-called pro se litigants (people acting as their own lawyers) to handle their own cases. The bigger question a person should be asking however, is should he or she be acting as their own lawyer. The Importance of Hiring a Specialist Consider this: The law is a confusing thing for most people, even under the best of circumstances. It takes three years on average for a person to obtain a law degree. If it were easy to do, everyone would be a lawyer. It is not. Most areas of the law are quite technical, requiring a full understanding of procedures and substantive issues, that most lay persons simply have no knowledge about. Is it possible though to learn these things however in such a way as to grant a lay person the ability to represent himself? Sure. Anything is possible. I could go home today and try to re-roof my house if I wanted to. It is perfectly legal. I wouldnt do that however, because I have no specialized knowledge or training in that area, and would hate to risk further damaging the roof due to my untrained attempts to fix it. The law is like my roof analogy. We are comfortable suggesting that in family law cases, where minor children are involved, it is a good idea to have legal representation, particularly if there is an attorney on the other side of the case. If there are significant assets/debts at issue then the hiring of a lawyer is probably a good idea. Is there a question of alimony? Talk to a lawyer. If there are substantial issues at stake, then consult with a professional and see if the hiring of a lawyer in a family law case is right for you. Dont leave it up to guesswork. If however, the divorce involves a short term marriage (under seven years duration). No kids, no property, no debts, no claim for alimony by either spouse and no other issues, then perhaps a lawyer is an unnecessary expense. The only way to be sure however is to talk to a lawyer about the facts and see what he or she recommends. If you or someone you know needs help with a family law matter or criminal law case in North East Florida, feel free to contact our office at Makofka and Makofka for a free consultation. We are here to help!