Sounds silly, right? It’s the best divorce advice that any attorney can give is don’t listen to your family & friends.

Your family and friends always want what’s best for you. They are there to love and support you. You look to them for help and guidance. When you are involved in a legal matter, your friends and family will often try to help by telling you about their case, their friend’s case or a case they followed through the media and giving you advice on what to expect. It is in almost every case that I have a client or a potential client say to me “but my friend said that (fill in the blank) would happen.”

Every legal matter is different. Even if your case seems “just like your friend’s case,” just one simple fact can make it an entirely different matter legally.  This applies to everything from a criminal case to a divorce case to a civil case. Your friends and family do not know these legal nuances. Only a trained professional can look at the facts and advise you about your case.

In addition, sharing your intimate details with your family and friends will often make your situation worse.  This is because your loved ones will often take an instant “dislike” to your soon to be ex spouse.  That makes them super protective.  Your legal choices may not be the choices your friends and family want for you and this can put you at odds with their wishes, simply because they do not have a full understanding of the complexities of the law.  For example, your loved ones may want you to fight for rights that you are not entitled to under the law.  When you try to explain it to them, they may become upset or frustrated, feeling you are not doing everything you can.

My parting advice: don’t listen to your friends. You can contact me for a free consultation.  I will provide you with the best legal advice for your specific circumstances.