10 Mistakes To Avoid In Your Divorce

Unfortunately, Divorce is very common in our society and it can be both emotionally and financially draining. Between all the emotions and distress, it can be very easy to make major mistakes that can have a lasting impact on your divorce. Here are 10 common mistakes to avoid in your divorce:

1. Not knowing about your financial status. It is important to have financial documents accessible before you file for divorce and to know where you stand financially. This includes knowing what assets and debts you have both separately and as a married couple. Be sure to make copies of all important financial documents before you file for divorce.
2. Dragging the children into the drama. The children are not the ones who are getting divorced. They should not have to be forced to take sides. Try and keep the drama between you and your spouse so the children do not suffer more injury and loss than they may already be experiencing.
3. Not surrounding yourself with supportive friends and family. There is no doubt that your friends and family will try to give you unsolicited advice, including bad mouthing your spouse. Your friends and family should be there for emotional support, not for giving you divorce information. Only an attorney can give you reliable divorce advice.
4. Not making decisions based on their costs and benefits. It does not make sense to fight over something that will end up costing you more in the end. It is not practical for you to fight hard for assets that you later will have to sell to pay attorney fees. Look at the long-term costs and benefits of your decisions and make a sensible decision.
5. Not being proactive and informed. In divorce, couples often face a multitude of problems to deal with at once including financial, legal, and emotional problems. It is tempting to not want to face these problems head on. By being proactive, you can have more control over the situation by getting all the information you need organized. Being proactive also includes getting guidance in the early stages from lawyers and other professionals.
6. Choosing the wrong attorney. One of the most important decisions in a divorce is hiring an experienced family law attorney. This decision take a lot of research and attention. Ideally, you want an attorney who has the knowledge, understanding, and experience to get you the best possible outcome in your divorce.
7. Avoiding courts and attorneys all together. Some people try to get their divorce done as quickly as possible, choose to represent themselves, and don’t go to the courts. However, there could be significant negative consequences of choosing to do that. By choosing to avoid attorneys and the courts because of the possible expense, you may end up paying more in the long run to fix the problems that you have created for yourself.
8. Having unrealistic expectations of what you will get out of your divorce. Many people enter divorces thinking that they will get every single thing they want. This is not reasonable because many times what they want is unrealistic. Instead, you need to make your demands both reasonable and attainable and realize that you might not get some things you want. Be sure to know what you want from the divorce, both financially and emotionally.
9. Making it a war between you and your spouse. You should be doing everything you can to help your case and move it along. Picking fights with your spouse over insignificant issues will not only create a hostile environment but could potentially delay your divorce and cost you more money.
10. Making informal arrangements and agreements. Some people are on good terms with their spouses during the divorce process and choose to make informal arrangements regarding the children and finances. This can be dangerous because these types of arrangements are essentially unenforceable. These arrangements can also backfire creating more problems in your divorce case. If you are going to make an informal agreement, you should have your attorney document it.

If you want to avoid making a mistake in your divorce and need legal advice about your case, turn to the experts in divorce:

The Badanes Law Office: David Badanes, Esq and Jillian M. Enright, Esq.

Contact David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office at 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our web site: www.dbnylaw.com.

The Badanes Law Office represents clients in Suffolk County, Nassau County, and New York City.  Our offices are located in Northport and in Garden City.  We can also meet clients at offices located in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

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