A family law attorney can help you navigate the overburdened family court system more efficiently.

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye is calling the current level of cutback-driven dysfunction in our court system the next great civil rights crisis. After all, what good are the protections of the law if the people cannot access them through the courts in a reasonably convenient manner?

Over 50 courthouses have closed and 3,900 fulltime workers have been let go due to budget cuts over the past few years. This has resulted in serious hardships for Californians in rural areas, where the nearest courthouse may be over 3 hours away. For example, the community of Needles is now so far from the nearest courthouse that residents are no longer called for jury duty.

Long drives to get to court are only the tip of the iceberg. Once there, wait times to file paperwork can be hours or even days—a sign in the Victorville courthouse warns that individuals who don’t have attorneys and need help may not been seen that day. And even if the paperwork gets filed with the clerk, in some courthouses this is no guarantee it will get to the judge. In Contra Costa County, one judge found 20 feet of unfiled civil law paperwork in a clerk’s office. Clerks in this courthouse have actually received complaints from divorced individuals who were unable to remarry because their paperwork had never been processed.

It will take time and money for this situation to be rectified. In the meantime, you would be well served to hire an experienced family law attorney to guide you through any and call court proceedings rather than attempting to handle things on your own. Here are some big benefits of having an attorney.

Get Paperwork Right the First Time

With the current backlog resulting in significant delays even in best case scenarios, it is more important than ever to file the correct legal documents on the first try. Whereas if you attempted to represent yourself you might make a mistake and have to start all over, with an expert family law attorney on your side you can rest assured the paperwork will get completed and filed correctly the first time.

Avoid Lines

Even if you don’t have to drive for hours to get to your nearest courthouse, you may still have to spend hours standing in line in order to file your paperwork. Rather than taking time off of work to do this, you can simply hire a family law attorney, who will have staff to handle this activity for you to save you significant time and aggravation.

Resolve Issues Outside of Court

Of course, in any kind of family law case there will be certain forms that must be filed and receive a judge’s signature. However, when time is of the essence it is often preferable to minimize the interaction with the court system. In other words, you may want to try to resolve custody, alimony, and child support issues outside of court through mediation or negotiation with your spouse’s attorney rather than waiting for a court date. Having an attorney on your side during this process can help ensure your rights are protected and you do not inadvertently agree to any unfair provisions.