If you suspect that you and the other parent of your children are about to go through a custody battle, you might want to think about hiring a professional lawyer. To understand why this is so important, you will want to check out the following points about what a lawyer will do for you. 

Tries To Negotiate An Agreement

There are many times when a custody situation can be put to rest before it becomes a full blown battle in a court room. The idea is to try to get both sides to agree on an arrangement instead of leaving the final decision up to a judge. Your family lawyer will help you and your ex talk over some of the things that each of you want as part of the agreement. He or she will also give advise on things that you might be able to compromise on in order to get other custody arrangements that you might want. For example, you ex may agree to giving you every Christmas morning if you agree to give him or her visitation every Christmas eve.

Files The Agreement

If you and your ex are able to come to a mutual understanding regarding the custody arrangements, your family lawyer can file the proper documents with the court house. This will make it official. Both you and the other parent will receive a copy of the custody arrangement so that there is no confusion later on. Each person will have their own copy of the custody order that they can refer to if they have any questions about anything later in the future.

Represents You In Court

Should you find that you and the other parent are not able to reach an agreement, you will most likely end up in court. This means that you will want to make sure that you are being properly represented. Otherwise, you might not get an agreement that is anywhere near something that you would consider acceptable. Also, when you have a family lawyer representing you, you will not have to worry as much about allowing your emotions to get the best of you. Your lawyer will do most of the talking on your behalf, which means that only the facts will be presented and you will have a better chance at getting the judge to understand your side of the case.

With those three points in mind, it should be much easier for you to see why you want to hire a family lawyer for your upcoming custody case. For more information, contact an experienced attorney like J. Scott Braden.