Divorce is in the air!

What is the deal with divorce? For that matter what is the deal with marriage? Everyday we hear about another couple breaking up. Who gets the kids? Who gets the dog (a budding area of law by the way)? Even the amazingly happy (I laugh) Russell and Katy are getting a divorce. Who did not see that coming??

The latest census says that more people than ever before are abandoning the idea of matrimony and opting for "just living together." They soon find out that this is a big decision.

There are pros and cons for each side. If you have kids, what last name do they get? Believe it or not it is a big deal. When you take your kids to the doctor and you give them the kids name and your name and they are different, they are looking at you like "Is this your kid?" And not just the doctor. Everywhere. People still associate the idea of kids with marriage. If you are not married then all types of sterotypes come up.

There is a big part of the population that still believes that you don't live together prior to marriage, and you don't have kids before marriage. Let's not even talk about sex before marriage. This part of the population fights for the sanctity of marriage. Is this fight going to save marriage? Probably not. Marriage has developed a bad wrap. Heterosexuals don't want to marry, while gays fight to marry. Does that make sense? I guess we always want what we don't have...

So if you are deciding to get married, what can you do to protect yourself in the event that it doesn't work out? Well the best thing is a prenup agreement. You may think this is insulting to your mate but believe me it will be better than fighting it out in court. We never want to believe that this extreme happiness we are feeling will ever go away. But without true diligence everyday, that just may happen. Why not have things decided before the feelings are really bad. Before you are fighting over a cassette tape from 1970.

Once while a relationship was ending, I threatened to cut the bed in half so we could split it...This is not the thought of a rational person. If we had decided it before then the bed would have survived...I think writing things down in a contract or prenup in the beginning never hurts. It saves feelings and belongings down the road.

If you are experiencing an issue that you need help with feel free to visit my website: http://www.touchtonlaw.com/

Lawyers charge too much

I bet this is the biggest complaint I hear. It is too expensive to get advise from a lawyer. However, I think the average person ASSUMES that it is too expensive to talk with a lawyer. There are alot of lawyers that offer either a free consultation or some reduced rate for the first consultation. After that each attorney sets their own fees on what they expect it will cost them to prepare your case and follow it through to the end.

You may ask "why do we have to pay such a BIG retainer?" Well the amount varies from client to client. Your case may be more complicated than another. A case may be mostly paperwork, while other cases require a lot of court time (which is considerly more expensive).  Most attorneys are not overcharging you. However, be careful and look at several different firms instead of just one. When you meet the attorney for the first time, make sure they are attentive and sound like they care about you and your case. Remember they are on their best behavior, so if you don't like the attorney then you are even less likely to like them in the future.

If you need any help feel free to email me at touchton.law@gmail.com

http://www.touchtonlaw.com/