By Attorney Meghan Freed a Hartford, Connecticut divorce attorney.

I’ve seen way too many people calmly and quickly sign settlements, only to spend years living with terms they didn’t fully understand back when they agreed to them.

I’ve also seen far too many others have to hire us after the fact to try to go back and fix things (which, like so many other things, is often more expensive and more limited than doing it right the first time).

The problem is bad timing. Many people don’t get legal advice at the exact right time they need it.

Combine the desire to save money with the desire to be done with the divorce, and you create powerful incentives to make decisions with major long-term consequences without the benefit of legal advice.

A smooth divorce isn’t always a smart one. Just because everyone’s being reasonable at the moment doesn’t mean the deal is fair or future-proof. The people who do best are the ones who get the right advice before they sign, not after the damage is done.

Meghan Freed is Managing Co-Partner of Freed Marcroft, a Hartford, Connecticut law firm that devotes its practice exclusively to divorce and family law. Meghan Freed is nationally recognized as a “relationship thought leader and prominent divorce attorney.”  According to Mashable, “going through divorce proceedings with lawyers like Meghan Freed, a trailblazer on the national stage, can help you reshape the narrative as a key route to personal empowerment.”  Unfinished Man says “Connecticut-based lawyer Meghan Freed is nationally known for her perspective that divorce is an opportunity for transformation, and her views can help her clients keep a positive perspective throughout the challenges they are facing.”