Why Become a Divorce Lawyer?

If you’ve chosen law as your career path, there are endless avenues you could be led down. With divorce rates doubling over the past half a century, becoming a divorce lawyer is a more viable choice of career than ever before.

However, becoming a divorce lawyer is a choice that shouldn’t be made lightly. As everyone knows, divorces can get ugly: shared assets are a huge part of most cases, and when children are involved, things can become even more complicated. With this in mind, why should you become a divorce lawyer?

Helping People

This might not be the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of this job. In fact, it could be the last: divorce lawyers are often portrayed as cutthroat and vengeful in popular media, becoming embroiled in conflicts that touch tempers and uproot lives.

But realistically, this is not an accurate depiction of why most lawyers choose to specialize in divorce law. Although many people choose to become a lawyer for the income this career can provide, divorce is not usually in the top 5 areas of law where lawyers are paid the most. A large number of people actually go into this profession due to the profound impact that divorce has had on their own lives.

Children

Divorce lawyers become well versed in family law, wherever they might be practicing. When it comes to divorce, children are often thrown into the middle of extremely emotional and volatile legal proceedings. During these times they are dealing with the stress of their parents separating as well as the many changes that come along with this decision. They often internalize the blame, failing to understand that it was never their fault that their parent's marriage didn’t work out.

This is where a divorce lawyer comes in: they help guide families into new parameters surrounding relationships and how responsibilities to the children will be divided, as well as when the child's time with both parents will be spent. They can also be instrumental in ensuring that the children's voice is heard. Divorce lawyers are the voice of reason when it comes to these often messy affairs, and have great influence over how the children will be legally affected.

Divorce lawyers can be the lighthouse on a stormy sea when it comes to the challenging waters of these changes in family dymanics.

Victims of Abuse

Other professionals choose to specialize in divorce law to defend individuals who have survived domestic abuse. Unfortunately, the rates of family violence have only increased in recent years. While people who have not experienced domestic violence themselves may not understand how someone could marry an abuser, many divorce lawyers are all too familiar with the scenario.

Abusers do not just quit when their victim commits to defending themselves legally: in fact, this can be the most dangerous time of all in an abusive relationship. Divorce lawyers protecting their clients from additional trauma and terror throughout proceedings could be their last hope for becoming legally independent and protected from their ex.

Setting the Record Straight

On the other side of the coin, people who are not battered frequently make this claim in a vindictive effort to gain a larger settlement or hurt their ex-spouse's reputation. A divorce lawyer could be the only thing protecting a parent’s relationship with their children. Going into divorce law could also make you responsible for protecting clients from financial ruin. 

A Sustainable Career Choice

Another key argument for becoming a divorce lawyer is the financial benefit. Top earning divorce lawyers have reported bringing in close to $700,000 a year, and even the median salary is still six figures at approximately $150,000. For individuals just starting in this career, you can still expect to make $60-70,000 in entry-level positions.

As mentioned earlier in this article, rates of divorce have increased exponentially over the turn of the century. There are innumerable reasons for this, but as society continues to develop and social standards evolve, many people simply won’t stay where they aren’t happy. The family unit is no longer dependent on one individual earning income for the household as many families now require two streams to sustain their basic needs.

At the end of the day, there are a lot of reasons to become a specialist in divorce law. Whether you are in it for personal or financial gains, you are sure to learn a lot about psychology, relationships, and conflict. Becoming a divorce lawyer is a high-impact job with a great salary to match - are you up for the challenge?