When people are going through divorce, they may focus on reducing expenses, knowing the process could be costly and time consuming. One (mistaken) way parties may try to reduce expenses is by not hiring a New Haven divorce lawyer. Sadly, not hiring a New Haven divorce lawyer can have disastrous results, like:
Getting a Default Judgment
In Connecticut, the divorce process begins when one person petitions the court for divorce. The other spouse then receives service of the pleadings, notifying him or her of the action in front of the court. A person may not read through the divorce papers and may simply fail to respond to the court filing by the required timelines. This can result in the court providing a default judgment to the party who filed, giving him or her everything requested. Even if a defendant does file a response, it may not be done in time or done correctly, possibly negatively affecting their legal rights.
Losing Property
In Connecticut, the courts have the power to decide how to divide a couple’s property. Unlike many other states, Connecticut allows the court to also look to the separate property of the other spouse. To ward off such action, a divorce lawyer may argue that factors in Connecticut’s statutes and case law weigh against this conduct. However, without legal assistance, a party may not know how to make proper or effective legal arguments.
Losing Custody
As part of the divorce, a judge may decide which parent to award custody to. While one parent may feel strongly that he or she should be the primary custodian, making this argument is often difficult and requires a trained professional familiar with the rules of evidence and civil procedure.