Be Ready To Hire A Divorce Attorney
The importance of planning ahead before getting a divorce cannot be understated. This is because the process of getting divorced takes on average 12 to 18 months and costs around $12,900, on average. In addition to the large expenditures of time and money, and not mentioning obvious emotional cost, divorce will often leave you in a precarious financial situation for the foreseeable future. You do have to survive after it's done, after all.
Tackle Finances First
Start by paying attention to bank statements, bills, etc. Jot down relevant account numbers and information in a journal that you keep privately. You should be doing this several months before you plan on informing your partner of the divorce. Your divorce attorney will need this information once the process begins.
Second, prepare to live solo. Open your own bank accounts and credit cards. Getting divorced will close the accounts that you share with your significant other, so be ready for that.
Finally, have a plan to support yourself, and your children if you have any, post-divorce. You can't afford to solely rely upon child support or alimony because you never know exactly how the divorce will play out. If you're working already, figure out if that money will be enough once you're divorced. If it won't, then now is the time to start planning on how to upsize your solo earning potential.
Divorce Attorneys
Who do you want to represent you? Some attorneys love to brag about how much they've gotten for their past clients. Others won't miss a chance to let you know how badly the legal system screws over people of your sex, which is why you need them. And still yet, other divorce lawyers will push you to settle on every issue, almost like they're avoiding the courtroom.
The point is that lawyers, like everyone else, come in types. There's no concrete advice on which type of attorney is best. It probably varies depending on the situation. But, your divorce attorney should make you feel comfortable. For example, you wouldn't want the most aggressive attorney in town if your divorce and relationship with your soon-to-be-ex is mostly amicable.
One thing is for certain, however, You should always go with an attorney with experience in divorce. There are many subsets of family law, of which divorce is one. Your attorney's primary practice should be divorce. And make sure, when you first consult an attorney, to attempt to nail down an estimate for what this divorce will cost.
Reach out to divorce law firms, such as North Metro Litigators, in your area to get started.
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