Divorce And High Street Law Firms

By Author: James Walsh
Total Articles: 68
Comment this article

High Street Lawyers - Their Standing Now

The net has been buzzing for sometime now with dissatisfied, bored, overworked and, in some cases, very angry, high-street lawyers from the UK. There is definitely a storm brewing - and legal storms do not happen as suddenly as any other field - they take their time just like an elaborate case. There is a debate on, no doubt on it. Many high-street lawyers feel that traditional law practices are going out of fashion, while another faction points out that lawyers would be needed forever, just like roses or candle light. The community is feeling threatened largely by the increasing proliferation of internet-oriented law services of various kinds. No consensus of opinions has been reached in this regard, and lawyers agreeing with each other are much more rare than virulent partners patching up their attractive divorce battle. Suffice it to say, The Times has been commenting on the misery of British lawyers recently, and reactions to their article has been widely and wildly varied. Purely local law practice, such as offering conveyancing solutions or acting as ‘family ...
... lawyers' for generations is a matter of yester years by now. When it comes to the area of divorce, the high-street law firms are still doing well enough if seen generally - as there are always people who need their services - even at the most peaceful or impoverished of times.

Who Needs Them and Why

Let us try to see the reasoning behind not availing DIY, supermarket, online or any other discounted divorce packages like that.

Not all divorces can be dispute-free. Some couples genuinely stand a chance of running into much greater trouble and expense in the future if they do not clear up their mess right then. This may involve not just them but third parties such as their current partners or fourth parties such as the children. When disputes cannot be avoided they need to be solved. An efficient lawyer will cost less in the long run than a lifelong trouble.
In some divorce cases, heavy property and monetary issues are involved. Rich people are not always fighting because they enjoy the ‘divorce celebrity' status, but because they would definitely like to stay rich. In order to do so, they need a solution to the property skirmishes once and for all - no one can afford to drag it into an uncertain future.
The other area of hot disputes is, of course, child custody. This is also equally, and in some cases, more important than money matters. After all, it involves the future of children who have done nothing to deserve all the trouble brewed by their parents, and need to have a fair deal. Only human beings can solve this situation, no amount of counselling on the net will help.
In some cases of extramarital affairs, several people become entangled in a terribly complicated manner. Once again, only human beings are capable of such a mess, and fellow humans are needed to extricate them. The questions of property and child custody are involved in these cases too - only in a much more complex way.
There is also the hefty question of inheritance. The laws are not always very clear in this regard, and unless thrashed out at the right moment would be turning up at wrong points in the future to haunt the later generations with the failed marriage of their predecessors.
Abusive marriages often merge with criminal cases. These are tragic and murky tales, and only humans can handle these. Online counselling is not of use here, and the active protection of the law may be necessary to protect the victim from further attacks. A law firm is the only saviour in such instances.
Finally, there are many who just need the ‘human touch'. In their moments of crisis and confusion, they need a human voice, accompanied by a body and a brain that are all theirs for the number of hours they are paying for.

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you want to find out more about a solicitor managed divorce see http://www.managed-divorce.co.uk