Divorces are emotionally draining, and it’s tempting to look for outlets that make you feel better about yourself or help you forget about your pending divorce. Divorce attorneys help their clients navigate the challenges of the legal process. Still, the help clients need most at the beginning of the process is help dealing with their feelings about the monumental change they’re going through. Often, clients make uncharacteristic choices because they’re emotionally hurt by the divorce. When you’re seeking an uncontested divorce, you can derail the process if you aren’t smart about how you proceed.
Here are five mistakes that you should avoid once you’ve filed for divorce:
- Worrying Instead of Acting: Whether you’ve filed for divorce or you’ve been served with divorce papers, once the process starts, the panic kicks in and makes you second guess every thought and relitigate every argument. Instead of becoming informed on the divorce process and your legal rights, you worry about every maybe and what-if. Panicking and worrying never solved a problem. Actions solve problems, and it’s a mistake to sit and worry when you should be acting in your own best interest.
- Trying to DIY Your Divorce: If your spouse has hired a divorce attorney, but you’re convinced you can go it alone, this is a mistake. You may not need a skyscraper full of divorce attorneys, but you should be equally represented to match your spouse’s representation. You will be doing yourself a disservice should you ignore what you do not know and assume it will be fine. If your spouse doesn’t hire an attorney and you both plan to DIY the divorce process, then that’s not quite as bad, but it’s not advisable unless you have few assets and no children. If there are possessions and people to fight over – you need a divorce attorney helping you make the right choices for your interest.
- Allowing Your Ex to Coerce You: Since you’re divorcing your spouse, allowing them to coerce you and force you to comply with divorce demands is a mistake. If your spouse is trying to coerce or intimidate you to get their way, it’s best to allow your attorney to negotiate everything on your behalf. Minimize your contact with your spouse and focus on doing what is right for you and your situation.
- Jumping into a New Relationship: Starting a new relationship before the old one is over is a mistake that many people make during their divorce. It’s an understandable albeit inadvisable choice. If your divorce is going smoothly, why tempt fate? Will your new relationship hurt your spouse’s feelings? Maybe they won’t care, but maybe they will. An unhappy spouse is also an uncooperative one, and your new relationship could give your spouse reason to feel they are being treated unfairly.
- Assuming You Don’t Need a Budget: If you and your spouse made a comfortable income together, you likely haven’t sat down and budgeted in a long time. This frequently happens with couples who have decided to divorce after a long marriage. They aren’t aware of how expensive the world is as a singleton, without someone to share expenses with or pool resources. Everything is less expensive when you can divide it by two or have another income to spread around. A post-divorce budget will give you an idea of how much you will need to live in the manner you currently live while married. This is also important information should you require spousal support.
Thoughtful and Considerate Representation from Cairns Law Group
If you and your spouse agree on the terms of your divorce, you can make the smart choice and work with the lawyers at Cairn Law Group to file a $299 uncontested online divorce. We can work with you and your spouse to get the process started today. Call us today at (888) 863-9115 to schedule a consultation or use our online contact form to request more information.
