Steven M. Bishop Divorce Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Why representing yourself in Divorce is not recommended

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 by Steven M. Bishop

Over the last 30 years, San Diego divorce attorney Steven M. Bishop has seen an ever-increasing percentage of parties attempting to represent themselves in the litigation process. This may be a result of reasonable concerns over the cost of attorneys or misplaced faith in the family law process to do "what is right" regardless of how a case is presented to the Family Court.

Regardless of the rationale, the number of self-represented litigants has had an enormous impact on the family law process. The Family Courts are increasingly backlogged as a result of individuals unfamiliar with the rules and procedures attempting to navigate through the very complicated and technical requirements of a divorce, legal separation, child custody or support case. The required forms are very difficult to understand and, if not properly completed, may be rejected by the Court, resulting in a party not having the ability to argue their case or have their positions considered by the judge.

The Family Court is "paperwork driven". Every judge reviews the documents presented before every case is called in open court. Consequently, if the pleadings, particularly the client’s declaration, which is a narrative statement designed to persuade the Judge to grant what the party wants, have not been properly prepared or they are unpersuasive, poorly written, fail to meet the necessary requirements etc., a party may have lost before they even begin.

The client who retains an experienced family law attorney such as Steven M. Bishop not only has an advocate to speak for them on the day of court, who understands divorce laws in San Diego, but has the assurance everything will be done in advance to ensure their interests are fully and thoroughly presented for consideration by the judge assigned to their case.

One significant advantage of over 30 years of family law practice is Steven M. Bishop knows all the judges, having appeared before them numerous times. The judges respect Mr. Bishop's knowledge of the law, his commitment to excellence, unquestioned ethical standards and respect for the Family Court system."

Steven M. Bishop
591 Camino De La Reina
Suite # 909
San Diego, California 92108
(877) 576-7413

Posted at 04:16 AM

Topic: Divorce