Legal fees in the U.S. are criminal. People have bankrupted themselves over carrying out legal action. To put it simply, it’s not worth it in a lot of situations. The key to using the power of the law effectively is hiring a lawyer only when you absolutely have to. Sometimes, you’d be better served putting the money towards a vacation in a tropical location of your choice.
Here are some of the situations where you should and shouldn’t hire legal help.
Handcuffs
Always call a lawyer in any situation that could involve handcuffs. If you’ve been arrested for something, it’s time to seek legal help. And it’s also time to find help when you’re at risk of finding yourself in handcuffs. Keeping yourself out of jail is always a worthy cause for your legal fund.
Death
Dying wasn’t as simple as it once was. When someone dies, there are costs to take care of and estates to pass on. It’s complicated and getting it wrong could mean losing out on inheritance. There are always taxes revolving around the untimely death of a loved one. Make sure you aren’t caught out by any of them by hiring a lawyer instead.
Divorce
Divorce is always an interesting subject, because a lot of people believe you don’t need to hire a lawyer. In a minority of cases, you can handle a divorce by yourself. People who don’t have any property or significant funds can simply walk away without any problems.
The issues begin when there’s a house to share and savings to split. It’s even more complicated when there are arguments over who gets to keep custody of a child. Unless you want to potentially lose everything you’ve worked for, get some legal help.
A Matter of Principle
It’s amazing just how many people will try to sue someone over what they call “a matter of principle”. The fact is spending thousands of dollars on a lawyer to prove someone wrong isn’t a good use of your time and resources. If you have no chance of getting something more than the cost of employing legal help, it’s a complete waste of time.
Don’t let your emotions rule your decisions. Walk away from the phone and let the issue go.
Job Losses
If you’ve been cheated out of employment benefits because you’ve been fired for no apparent reason, hire a lawyer specializing in employment law on behalf of employees. On the other hand, if you never had any benefits incoming, walk away and chalk it up as life experience.
Employers will know if you’ve sued someone in the past. They’re often apprehensive about hiring people who have sued their employers previously. Many will see you as a risk, and therefore pass on you.
In short, this goes back to the argument about principles. You might think you’re fighting the good fight, but all you’re doing is making it harder for you to get another job going forward. It might not be fair or just, but it’s the best option open to you right now.
Featured image flickr.com/photos/marinolegalcle/8080595407/sizes/o/in/photostream/
