Divorce - 5 Tips For Being Better Prepared

Preparation is everything.  Preparation is one of those key factors that will ultimately affect the outcome of your case.  If you want to win your divorce, be better prepared than your spouse.  Here are 5 tips that will allow you to be better prepared:

Tip #1 – If your divorce is contested, hire an attorney.  Contested divorces are a complicated process.  A divorce attorney is a professional who has ‘been there’ and ‘done that’ in divorce court time and time again.  He will know how to handle each issue as it arises.  With a divorce attorney by your side, you are assured that you and your childrens’ interests are being advocated.

Tip #2 - Cooperate with your attorney.  Make yourself helpful by providing relevant documents, evidence, and witnesses list. When your attorney asks you questions regarding your marriage, be honest and specific in your answers. Also, make sure you hire an attorney who you are comfortable working with so that you will have open communication between you.

Tip #3 – Take control of the banks accounts.  Immediately cut off all accounts you share with your spouse and open your own account to protect your savings.  Also, once the marital property has been divided, transfer the ownership and title of each item of marital property that you have been awarded to your name in order to avoid confusion.

Tip #4 – Get your own benefits.  If you share health, life, and pension plans with your spouse, go ahead and get your own. You do not want to wait until you need these benefits, only to find out that you have none.

Tip #5 – Talk with your children.  Throughout the divorce process, stay mindful of your children’s best interests. Your children are the ones who are powerless in this situation, and they can do nothing about it.  Talk with them, find out what they want.  Because you took the time to talk with your children, in the court room when the Judge ask you what the children want, you will be able to answer him fully and persuasively.