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When Should You Seek Legal Advice?

bennettlaw • July 25, 2019

By: Ollena Bennett, J.D.

Do you have a legal issue that needs to be resolved? Have you attempted to do research on your own only to run into a legal explanation that requires you to do even more research just to understand what the first explanation means? Are you unsure if you have a legal issue that requires assistance from an attorney? If any of these questions are familiar to you, it is best that you seek advice from an attorney to prevent an even bigger problem.

Although hiring an attorney is not a requirement to resolve all legal matters, moving forward without a licensed attorney puts you at risk for mishandling your case that could ultimately lead to an undesirable outcome for you, including a complete dismissal of your case. Licensed attorneys are required to complete a number of continuing legal education courses that allows them to stay up-to-date on the law as it pertains to their areas of practice. Additionally, attorneys have access to legal resources that are not readily accessible to non-lawyers, which helps assist with analyzing and resolving legal matters. So, you will benefit from seeking the assistance of a licensed and skilled attorney who can properly analyze your issue, apply the most recent law, and help you reach the solution that best suits you.

Here are just a few situations that may require you to seek legal advice:

  • Filing for child custody – Whether you want to get custody of a minor, a case has been filed against you regarding custody, or you need to establish a visitation schedule for a minor, these issues typically get very intense and will require legal expertise to properly handle and to protect the best interest of the minor child.
  • Going through a divorce – Whether you are thinking about filing for divorce, or have been served with divorce paperwork, you can quickly find yourself in a whirlwind of issues. An attorney can help you get through the process of dividing marital property and debts, calculating child support, determining visitation schedules, division of or safeguarding your military benefits, and more.
  • Starting a business – If you are looking to start your own business or franchise, it would be beneficial to speak with an attorney to avoid costly mistakes in the process. There could be certain requirements that must be met before opening the doors to your business. Also, your personal assets could be at risk. A business law attorney could help ease your concerns in completing this process and help prevent lability in the future.
  • Hiring employees – Businesses should be sure that they are following state and federal guidelines when hiring employees. Handling employees is often a risky issue that should be discussed with a knowledgeable employment attorney to ensure you are not violating any rules that could put you in legal jeopardy.

It is very important that you act fast when you are faced with a legal issue. Most legal issues have a statute of limitation , meaning you have a limited amount of time to file your claim or you lose the opportunity to do so. So, you do not want to wait too long before seeking legal advice. If you are conflicted on whether you need legal advice or not, it is best to go ahead and do so to be sure that your rights and interests are protected.

If an attorney is unable to assist you, they will likely be able to point you in the right direction so that you may get the assistance that you need to properly and effectively resolve your issue. In essence, the sooner you contact an attorney, the better!

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