5 Best Reasons You Need a San Ramon Divorce Attorney

by | Jan 20, 2021 | Divorce, Uncategorized

We pulled together the top five reasons why hiring a San Ramon divorce attorney in a disputed separation makes sense. Here are the top reasons. 

1) Expert Advice

An experienced lawyer ensures that you are getting what you deserve during the divorce. Whether it concerns property, debts, substantial income, support issues, custody of a child, or money, a divorce attorney will be able to offer guidance and provide you with expert advice on the situation. An attorney will safeguard your rights and protect you during the divorce proceedings.

2) Save Money

A divorce attorney can help you save money throughout the process. Many people are concerned that expensive legal fees outway the benefits. In truth, hiring a divorce attorney right away could help you save money. Involving an attorney early in the process means you and your spouse can work together with your respective attorneys to negotiate an out-of-court settlement. You can work towards an uncontested divorce since your attorneys know the law and will advise you on a fair settlement. Since the attorneys can keep emotions out of the process, there is a stronger chance you and your spouse will compromise on issues related to custody, property division, and financial support. If you don’t end up litigating these issues before a judge in family court, you’ll spend less money. You’re also likely to end up happier with the outcome of your divorce settlement agreement because you are the ones deciding the outcome instead of leaving the decisions to a stranger in a black robe that doesn’t know you or your family.

3) Less Stress

Divorce is never an easy task. Whether you’ve been married for only a few months or several years, the process of separation is always challenging and emotional. Hiring a lawyer can alleviate some of the stress that you might have. You will not need to worry about the process or filing of documents, as your attorney is here to handle it for you. You may instead focus on your family and yourself.

Related Content: 5 Steps to Prepare for Divorce

4) Protecting Relationships

A divorce attorney can assist you in protecting your relationship with your children. It is often essential to come to a custody agreement that provides you with enough time with your kids, and continues building healthy relationships. An attorney can help you negotiate custody; you and your spouse can create a parenting plan without a judge deciding for you. Divorce attorneys allow you to find something that works for your family, making it easier to co-parent since you aren’t involved in adversarial litigation. However, if you can’t agree on custody, your attorney will also represent you in court.

5) Minimize Mistakes

The stress of a divorce may make one not think clearly during the process. Thus, you are more likely to commit mistakes, including forgetting your credit card debt or medical insurance policies. In turn, this may cause some harm to your finances, and you might end up unhappy about the result of the divorce. Your attorney is here to take care of the details. You can rest assured that your case will be handled appropriately.

Related Content: Divorce Facts You’ve Never Heard Before

Finally  – Keeping it Civil

For some couples, meeting up with spouses and working through specific points for the divorce isn’t idyllic. Having your attorney there, though, will help keep the discussion civil and free of any bitterness, recriminations, or fault-finding. At Whipple, Mercado & Associates, we know that if you and your spouse can’t talk to each other without it turning into a fight, having your attorneys present can help keep the discussion more productive. 

Contact us today by calling (925) 344-5050, or fill out our contact form on our site. 

Tammy J. Mercado

Tammy J. Mercado has a passion for helping her clients achieve their desired results. She listens and she personally and promptly responds to your texts, emails and phone calls. She offers real solutions to your legal matters. Tammy will carefully evaluate the legal issues in your case, provide you with sound advice and offer you the pros and cons of each possible scenario so you can meet your legal objectives. She encourages clients to participate in their own matters. Tammy believes that client participation is key to a positive result and to keeping attorney fees as low as possible. You can be sure that she will offer you straightforward, sound and honest advice in a professional manner, with integrity and excellence.

Before opening her own law practice, Tammy worked for many high-volume law firms. This gave her extensive, diversified experience in hundreds of complex family law cases as well as civil matters. She is admitted to practice law before all courts in California and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Contra Costa Bar Association, the Alameda County Bar Association and the Bar Association of San Francisco. Tammy is also a member of the Rotary Club of Danville.

Tammy is a graduate of John F. Kennedy School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Science in business management from the University of Phoenix. Tammy is also a licensed real estate broker, which comes in handy for valuing property in family law cases as well as real estate matters in the civil arena.

During her off time, Tammy is an avid sailor who crews and races on various boats in the San Francisco Bay. Tammy approaches each case as she would any yacht race: by assessing the other’s strengths, weaknesses, experience, equipment, history and reputation. She is a member of the American Sailing Association, and she is a certified Coast Guard Auxiliary member.

HONORS AND AWARDS
Tammy was selected to receive the prestigious “Business Person of the Year” Award in 2017 for the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce.

Tammy is currently serving as Danville Rotary President for 2017 through 2019.

Mary C. Whipple, CFLS

Mary C. Whipple opened her first law practice in the summer of 2008. She previously was an associate attorney at the Law Office of Cummins & Holmes, a full-service civil litigation law firm in San Ramon. The majority of her experience is in family law, which includes divorce, custody, support, prenuptial agreements and domestic-violence restraining orders. Certified by the California State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization, she is a specialist in the area of family law. Mary has also represented clients in a variety of non-family-law cases, including juvenile dependency, probate, breach of contract and employment disputes, to name a few.

Mary also previously worked as a contract attorney for O’Melveny & Meyers in San Francisco while simultaneously volunteering at the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Volunteer Legal Services Program, representing defendants in unlawful detainer actions. The program acknowledged Mary with an Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Award in 2006 for her efforts in providing access to justice.

A seventh-generation Californian, Mary is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She earned her Bachelor of Science in criminology at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the Alameda County Bar Association, and the Contra Costa County Bar Association.

In addition, Mary is active in her community as a member of the Ambassador’s Committee for the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce; a volunteer at the Contra Costa County and Alameda County Superior Courts, where she assists self-represented litigants in completing their divorces; and a member of Divorce Angel, where she provides information regarding family law matters to members of the community. Since 2007 she has been a volunteer judge for Alameda and Contra Costa County’s Annual High School Moot Court Competition. She is also a member of the Danville/Sycamore Valley Rotary Club. She was awarded the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce 2012 Business Person of the Year; and a graduate of the 2012 class of Leadership San Ramon Valley.

CERTIFIED LEGAL SPECIALTIES
Certified Specialist in Family Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization