So you’re going through a divorce and not sure what to expect. You’ve heard all sorts of nightmare stories about the difficulties, legal complexities, and outright ugly proceedings in some divorces.
Listed below are a few common mistakes to avoid during your divorce:
- Having unreasonable expectations. Many important issues will be decided in your divorce, such as child custody, alimony, property division and retirement funds. Although it is okay to feel strongly about what you think is fair, you cannot expect to get everything.
- Letting emotions dictate decisions. For many people, divorce is an emotionally traumatic period of life. It is one thing to be emotional, but to allow those emotions to affect your decision-making is never good. Be smart, use logic.
- Lying to your lawyer. It seems silly, but many people lie or withhold information from their lawyer. Know that your lawyer is under an ethical and legal obligation to keep everything you tell him or her confidential. Lying or withholding information can only hurt your case in the long run.
- Not being involved. Your lawyer cannot do everything for you. You need to ask questions, take notes, check facts and generally be on top of your case. Remember, your lawyer may be handling many cases at once.
You will be surprised at how big of a difference avoiding these mistakes can make, not just on the outcome of your divorce, but on the entire process. Divorce doesn’t have to be an agonizing experience.