Choosing the right divorce attorney is critical. Unless you truly have no assets/debts, no children, no house and no retirement assets then going it alone is really not a good option. No matter how smart you are or how much you have read on the Internet there is no source of unbiased, real time advice as useful as the knowledge of a NY practicing attorney who concentrates his/her practice on matrimonial law.
The knowledge gained from many years of practice is valuable and is not substituted by what you read on the Internet or what your friends may tell you that have been divorced. I am not saying that the research or conversations with friends doesn't have value, it does. However, every person's marriage and divorce is unique. One size does not fit all. Additionally, there are many different ways to write a clause in an agreement and therefore just because a topic is addressed in a proposed agreement that does not mean it is the best way to write the paragraph. The untrained client may not know what is missing and therefore overlooks asking for provisions that might normally have been provided.
There are lawyers that as soon as they hear that one person is unrepresented they insert oppressive terms or conditions that would never be acceptable to an established attorney on the other side of the case. There are statutes that have been interpreted by caselaw and so what appears to be black and white may be quite different. This includes the calculation of child support and spousal support as there are reasons for deviation and artificial caps that may have to be considered.
Finally, an attorney is able to bring his/her unemotional review and insight into the particular judge assigned to your case to guide you to a better outcome. I cannot put a dollar value on that but it is no different than going to a doctor who is out of school for six weeks compared to a doctor that has done the procedure 1,000 times.