Yes, you should contact an attorney very soon after receiving divorce papers. Procrastinating on responding to served divorce papers can cause irreparable damage to your case. There are deadlines to respond to the Complaint (typically thirty days). Missing these deadlines can cause you to lose your case. Of course, you must also take into account the practicalities of hiring a lawyer to help you formulate a defense and prepare an Answer to the Complaint. Many times, appointments with attorneys are not immediately available. Furthermore, your attorney will need time to prepare and file your written Answer properly. If you wait until a few days before your deadline, you may be preparing your Answer alone (with potentially disastrous results).
If your spouse has filed for divorce, it is important that you obtain legal advice as soon as possible. Even if you and your spouse are getting along, having independent legal counsel can help you make decisions now that could affect your divorce later.
Sometimes there are temporary issues that pop up quickly in a case. It is possible you will receive only a few days’ notice of a temporary hearing. You will be better prepared for a temporary hearing if you have already retained an attorney.