After having an initial meeting with a divorce attorney there are 4 steps you can take:
1) Get to know your financial information. Knowing what bank accounts you have in individual or joint names, what your monthly household expenses are, and what retirement or savings accounts you and your spouse have, allows you a better understanding of your overall financial situation. This information can be critical in a divorce in a division of assets, or an award or payment of support.
2) Don't put the kids in the middle. It can be tempting to ask children where they would want to live if you and your spouse were to separate, but you should do your best to leave your children out of those conversations. Unless children are of a legal age to decide where they want to live and a court specifically requests their input, physical custody conversations should be kept between the parents.
3) Watch who you’re talking to and what you’re saying. Whether you are saying something to your spouse that you would later regret, or talking to many people outside of the relationship about what's going on, those actions can be detrimental in the long run. Courts can take the behavior of the parties into consideration in making custodial decisions, and even financial decisions, when parties are not able to settle. Don't say something in anger or haste that you would not want a judge to know about.
4) Call your attorney with questions. While people may not be ready to move forward with a divorce right after meeting with a divorce attorney, they may still have questions as the thought of divorce looms. Retaining an attorney to ask them questions as you are deciding whether to proceed with a divorce, is often a better idea than guessing on your own.
For any family law questions or issues, please contact one of the family law attorneys at Sandberg Phoenix.
