3 Things To Do Before Talking To A Divorce Lawyer
If you're planning to file for divorce, you need to understand how to best work with your divorce lawyer
. There are three things you can do to simplify the process while keeping costs low.
1. Get Organized
One of the first things your divorce lawyer is going to ask you to do is prepare an inventory of your marital assets and liabilities. So, getting yourself organized is the single most important thing you can do before you talk to a lawyer.
To get well organized you'll need written evidence showing all assets and liabilities. Examples of the type of documents you'll need include bank statements, credit card statements, loan documents, deeds, car titles, etc.
You should also have copies of your tax returns for the last few years, statements for your retirement accounts, pension plans and IRA accounts.
You want to pay particular attention to documenting any property you brought into the marriage or received as part of an inheritance. That property is your separate property and is not divided with the marital estate. But, you need the documentation to prove that it's separate property.
2. Set Priorities
It's very easy to get bogged down in the process of getting a divorce. You can avoid that by setting priorities. In other words, determine what is important to you.
Accept the fact that all the marital assets will be divided. Just figure out what you want to keep and what you're willing to let go. But don't get carried away. You won't be able to keep everything. Your spouse will also get things.
If you have children, decide ahead of time whether you want custody. If you do, devise a reasonable visitation plan for your spouse. If you don't want custody, devise a reasonable plan for your visits. Child custody and visitation are the issues that most often cause divorces to stall and drag out for months or years.
3. Be Reasonable
Approaching your divorce as a reasonable person will help you get the case resolved quickly. You do want to get on with the rest of your life, don't you? To be reasonable you'll have to think about what's important to your spouse, not just what's important to you.
While you may hate your spouse, you still have to reach an agreement on the division of marital property, the residence, child custody, support and visitation. A big part of the success of such agreements depends on how reasonable you are in the negotiation process.
Don't treat your divorce like a contest. You may end up with a 50/50 split when the dust settles. But, having your priorities set along with a reasonable approach will likely mean that you get the things that are most important to you in that 50/50 split.
Remember that your divorce lawyer is working by the hour. If you start your case in an organized way, set your priorities and maintain a reasonable approach to your negotiations, you'll be able streamline the legal process for your case, keep your legal costs down and keep your sanity in the process.
by: Ryan Round
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