We all hire professional when we have problems. When we’re sick or injured we go to the doctor. We follow her instructions and take the medicine she prescribed because we want to get better. When our pipes are clogged, we hire a plumber who comes with tools most of us don’t have or know how to use. We listen to his advice. When our car isn’t running right and we hear a loud squeal coming from under the hood, we take it to a mechanic to be fixed.
And yet, a surprisingly large percentage of people going through divorce don’t heed their lawyer’s advice. Why? Generally, it’s because divorce is a crossroad where fact and reality often collide with emotion. It is sometimes hard for people to reconcile the fact that the law is not driven by emotion. It’s not even related to emotion. But the law will always win out.
This is one area where it makes the most sense to listen to your lawyer. After all, he spent four years in college and three years in law school to learn the law. Chances are your lawyer has been practicing a number of years and has put that education to practical use handling cases. This gives him experience. And, although your lawyer cares about you and your case, he is not emotional about your divorce (or, at least, shouldn’t be).
That gives him the ability to look at your case objectively which, understandably, may be impossible for you.
Listen to your lawyer. Take his advice. After all, isn’t that the reason you hired him in the first place? Your lawyer wants to do well for you. He has your best interests at heart, even if, at times, he tells you something you’d rather not hear. That’s his job.
You should want an objective opinion based on the law, the facts, and reality. Neither you, nor your lawyer, benefit if he simply tells you what you want to hear. That would create false expectations, prolong the process, and likely result in a more unpleasant experience and a more costly result.
Select your lawyer carefully, but once you do, listen to him, be guided by him, and heed his advice. That’s why you hired him.
