Many individuals and couples in the State of Minnesota represent themselves during a divorce proceeding. Sometimes the represented party thinks that this gives him/her an advantage; however, that may not necessarily be the case.
If you are represented by an attorney, but your spouse chooses to represent him/herself, you will have the benefit of an advisor: someone to tell you when you are being reasonable/unreasonable, what information you need to provide, and how to phrase certain language in any agreement reached. Your unrepresented spouse may choose to take very unreasonable positions, but will not have a similar advocate on her side to tell her that she is being unreasonable. Keep in mind, your attorney can negotiate for you, but cannot provide legal advice to your unrepresented spouse.
This may end up actually prolonging the length of your divorce or, it may have absolutely no impact on your divorce. It depends on your spouse’s personality, how complicated the issues in your case are, and the personality of your attorney.
If you have any questions about your divorce and your specific situation, please call me today at 952-800-2025 or reach out via our online contact form to set up your free consultation.