Family Law

Dr. Phil's Divorce Survival Tips

By J. Benjamin Stevens

How do you protect yourself and prepare for a divorce? You must know your rights under thelaw when it comes to spousal support, child support, and marital assets. It also helps to know the outlook of the judges in the county you live in who might be likely to hear your divorce case. Sometimes how a judge views the law and the facts that fall within the law can vary from county to county.

Here are some Divorce Survival Tips to help you get ready:

• Divorce proceedings can be like war – be prepared for the battle. It doesn't have to be like war, and can be handled collaboratively, but people can't get along well enough to reach agreements.
• Consider the timing of the divorce. Consider whether it is beneficial for you to stay in the marriage until a particular time. Example, your spouse is set to receive a bonus at the end of the year. If you file the divorce prior to that time, you risk a claim that the bonus is not marital property. Or, is there a benefit to making it to the 10-year-marriage mark?
• Consult with an attorney, or more than one attorney, to make sure you are getting the best advice for your situation.
• Gather the information you will need to present your best case. You will need all of the documents related to financial accounts, real property, debts, etc. (Check out Divorce Cost and Prep from DivorceApps.com for an iPhone App that will help you put together a list of documents that your lawyer might need.)
• Don't put the kids in the middle of your divorce. Work something out with your spouse so that you can both stay involved in the kids' lives and co-parent them together.
• Don't talk to everyone you see about your divorce. Keep your conversations very limited to just the one or two people you know you can trust and who won't talk to your spouse.

Dr. Phil has his own set of Divorce Survival Tips that are worth checking out.

Source:  "Divorce Survival Tips, Dr. Phil Style" by Michelle O'Neil, published at her Dallas Divorce Law Blog.

Full post as published by SC Family Law Blog on July 02, 2010 (boomark / email).