In some cases divorce can be so easy that all you have to do is agree to the divorce and sign paperwork and pay a few court fees. In most cases, however, especially those where kids are involved, the process becomes more hectic and time-consuming and money must be invested into a lawyer.

When you have kids, you have to worry about who gets the children and for what type of arrangement, child support, and other types of support for kids. Here are reasons you should hire a lawyer if you are getting divorced and you have children.

You want sole custody

Whether you want sole custody because the other parent moved out of the area, your kids want to stay with you, you feel the other parent is abusive, or the other parent is on drugs or otherwise impaired, fighting for sole custody means you have to prove that you are not only the fittest parent for your kids, but that the other parent is unfit. This is hard to prove and requires the assistance of a skilled family and divorce attorney.

You don't agree on anything with the other parent

Do you and the other parent disagree about basically everything related to the kids? From who gets the kids on holidays and weekends to how much child support should be paid, making decisions on behalf of the children is so hard when the other parent is fighting you on everything.

Lawyers are used to perform negotiations for parents who cannot agree how to raise their kids after divorce. If you can't come to an agreement with or without an attorney, your judge will decide for you and this is often not fair for all the people involved because judges don't know your family on a personal level.

You want to keep the house

Your kids have grown up in the same home for most of their lives. You are going to be the primary parent caring for them and you want the house for your kids' sake. If both you and the other parent have names on the deed to your home, you will either have to buy the other parent out, sell the home and share the equity in the property, or find other assets you own together as parents to offer the other party to make things fair. A divorce attorney will help you do this so everyone walks away with what they feel they deserve and the kids benefit the most.