Meriwether & Tharp, LLC
6788799000 Meriwether & Tharp, LLC 1545 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 300 Varied
If you have divorce questions

Is an Aggressive Divorce Attorney Right for me?

When selecting a divorce or family law attorney, many people simply navigate to google.com and search for an "aggressive divorce attorney near me." Is an aggressive attorney the right decision in a divorce, child custody proceeding or other family law matter? Not necessarily. Many people believe that hiring the most aggressive divorce attorney will be beneficial because aggressive family law lawyers are thought to fight harder for their clients, and thus be more successful litigating the divorce matter.

The truth is, the role of an effective and successful divorce attorney not only includes being a zealous advocate on behalf of his or her clients, but also involves being a reasonable and responsible counselor and providing clients the best advice based on research and experience. When hiring a divorce lawyers, there are a lot more things to take into consideration aside from how aggressive the attorney acts. Below is a list of several reasons why selecting the most aggressive divorce attorney is not always the best choice, and may ultimately cause more harm than good.

Problems with Aggressive Divorce Attorneys 

1

Relationship with other Attorneys

2

Relationship with the Judge & Court Staff

3

Less Likely to Compromise

4

Taking Outrageous Positions

5

Unrealistic Case Assessment

6

Promising Unrealistic Results

7

Difficulties After Divorce

8

Aggressive Often Means Overly-Expensive

Aggressive divorce lawyers tend not to get along with each other.
Relationship with other Attorneys

Overly aggressive divorce attorneys do not always have the best relationship with their fellow attorneys. Initially this may not seem unimportant, but divorce attorneys are the agents litigants use to prosecute and ultimately resolve the case. If one divorce attorney has a reputation in the legal community of being difficult to work with, other attorneys may take legal tactics to make the case more difficult and contentious or may be hesitant to make a settlement offer due to the attorney's reputation.

Aggressive attorneys might upset and anger judges and court staff.
Relationship with the Judge & Court Staff

Overly aggressive divorce attorneys may be negatively thought of by judges and court staff. Judges are people too. If an attorney has a reputation of being unnecessarily aggressive or frivolously litigious, judges and court staff may respond more adversely to requests made by that attorney.

Aggressive divorce lawyers are often not willing to compromise and settle a divorce.
Less Likely to Compromise

Aggressive divorce attorneys are less likely to compromise. Compromise is key during divorce proceedings, because it is impossible for both parties to walk away with full custody, child support, alimony, the marital residence and all the marital property. If an attorney is not willing to compromise, even when it is the best outcome for his or her client, it will ultimately be harder to settle the case.

Attorneys taking outrageous positions in a divorce that lead to more fighting.
Taking Outrageous Positions

Overly aggressive attorneys tend to take outrageous or unwinnable positions on cases. When a divorce attorney takes an unwinnable position on a case, that attorney loses credibility with the court and alienates the other party and his or her attorney. This negatively effects the client by reducing the chances for settlement, and ultimately disappoints the client when the outcome at trial is not as expected.

a few people sitting at a table
Unrealistic Case Assessment

Overly aggressive divorce lawyers do not provide clients with realistic case assessments. One primary role of divorce attorneys is, after reviewing the facts and circumstances of a case, to provide his or her client with a realistic case assessment. This way the client has a general idea of what to expect going forward. When aggressive attorneys fail to provide their clients with realistic case assessments, the client is ultimately disappointed when the matter does not proceed as the attorney has predicted.

Aggressive attorneys tend to promise unrealistic results.
Promising Unrealistic Results

Aggressive divorce attorneys often inflate client expectations and promise results that are not feasible or realistic. Similar to the two reasons listed immediately above, when an aggressive divorce attorney promises a client an unrealistic result, the client may rebuff reasonable settlement offers with the expectation that he or she is entitled to a better offer only to be disappointed at trial.

Post divorce life can end up hostile because of aggressive divorce lawyers.
Difficulties After Divorce

Aggressive attorneys makes it harder for parties to communicate and compromise post-divorce. Overly aggressive divorce attorneys often add the tension already present during divorce litigation. This added tension or hostility often irreparably damages the relationship between the two parties causing them to have difficulty communicating or co-parenting post-divorce. Visitation exchanges, birthday parties, school events could all end up being unnecessarily hostile as the negative feelings from divorce spill into everyday life.

A man dealing with an expensive divorce because of overly aggressive attorneys.
Aggressive Often Means Overly-Expensive

Unnecessarily aggressive attorneys cause overall divorce costs to increase. Divorce costs increase exponentially when litigation is unnecessarily extended or expanded. It is not uncommon for overly aggressive divorce attorneys to take legal positions or have legal tactics that increase the scope of litigation and increase the time it takes to either settle the divorce matter to proceed to a final hearing in the matter. When a divorce matter is expanded in this way, attorney's fees increase, and they may be compounded by fees associated with other divorce experts as well.

How do I select the Best Divorce Lawyer for Me?

If selecting an aggressive divorce lawyer isn't always the best choice, what type of divorce/family law lawyer should I look to hire? Hiring the best divorce lawyer for you may seem like a dauting process at first. It's actually not too difficult as long as you are able to prioritize and focus on two main things that make a great family law attorney. First, always make sure you choose an experienced and reputable attorney. Second, always make sure you choose a family law attorney that you are compatible with.

Click here to learn more about selecting the best divorce lawyer for your case.

Did this article help you?
Yes
No
Thank you, we appreciate your feedback!