The Best Way to Work With Your Divorce Attorney
A divorce attorney will help you start your post-marriage life. Whether you’re facing a difficult time because your spouse wants revenge or your split will be amicable, there are some rules for successfully working with your attorney no matter your situation. Here in our Langhorne office, we help clients in Bucks and Montgomery counties successfully divorce by establishing an excellent working relationship.
Tell Her Everything
You can’t keep secrets and expect effective representation. Your attorney can only properly prepare your case when she knows everything about your marriage, even the things you don’t like to tell yourself. It could be tax evasion, physical and emotional abuse, or extramarital affairs. Surprise is the last thing an attorney wants to feel in the middle of a divorce case.
Have Your Finances in Order (or the Paperwork at Least)
Whether you’re a financial whiz, completely reliant on your spouse to manage your finances, or somewhere in between, you must find all the details of your marital, financial life. Your assets and debts will be divided as part of your divorce. We need to know what the two of you have before it can be fairly split. If you don’t fully grasp all the financial issues in your life, you must get documentation of all that’s going on. After we get that, we can help you piece everything together.
Know Your Goals – Keep Your Pension, the Beach House?
Your divorce is unique. It’s driven by the facts, the law, and what you and your spouse agree upon. You could go to trial over who gets what and how much. But the vast majority of cases end with a settlement agreement. Before negotiating, we must know what’s important to you and what your priorities are. What are the needs you must have? What are the wants you’re willing to sacrifice?
Be Realistic. Both Parents Have Rights to Time With Their Kids. They Have the Right to a Relationship with Both Parents.
Unless your spouse has serious problems with violence, mental health, or drug abuse, they will at least have time with your kids if not share custody with you. If you think spending time with your spouse isn’t in your children’s best interests, you need strong, compelling evidence to win the issues. Barring that, both parents must compromise and make your post-marriage family relationships work.
Put Other Support in Place
Divorce is often highly stressful and emotional. The expected lifelong relationship is ending. Your financial health may be at risk, and your children don’t understand what’s going on. If you have supportive, helpful friends and family members, rely on them. Professional emotional help can also be a crucial part of the support system for you and your kids. Don’t go through this alone.
Get the Help You Need From an Attorney You Can Trust
Contact Karen Ann Ulmer, PC, if you have questions or need representation. Call our office at (215) 608-1867 to schedule a consultation. We can speak over the phone, via teleconference, or meet in our Doylestown or Langhorne office.
