Divorce is one of the hardest processes to go through in your life. Everything seems to be in an upheaval – your house, your kids, your life – and you simply would like to get it over with and move on with your life. However, there are certain things to watch out for while you are moving the divorce process along.
Don’t Waive Any Rights
It may seem quicker to waive your rights to something rather than negotiating over them. You might assume any negotiating will take too much time or result in a fight, but you don’t know that for sure. The other party may agree to your terms or throw back a counter that is quick and easy to accept. Don’t potentially waive away your rights to financial, child or property matters just because it’s quicker. You could lose a lot more in the end if you hurry up and get a divorce over with.
Keep a Paper Trail
Even though lawyers have assistants, those assistants are human too. Papers might get lost, a message may be forgotten, or a question might remain unanswered. Keep track of everything you discuss with your lawyer or even your ex and keep it in a folder. All correspondence, no matter how “on the record” or not should be kept on hand. When you have the email message, the voicemail or a copy of an important paper, you will always have the proof that something was said or promised, even when the other parties may have forgotten or deny it.
Keep Communication Open
Everything may seem nice, but the fur will probably be ruffled as some point in your divorce. When it does, remember that it shall soon pass. Even while it is a rough patch, keep all lines of communication open. If there are children involved, don’t with hold communication between them and the other parent. The children had nothing to do with your adult problems, and don’t punish them for it by accident.
With any and every question you have on legal matters, defer to you attorney. Afterall, you are paying them a lot of money to work for you. They will have all of the answers or know where to turn to if they do not.