Family Law

Stop! Before You Make a Move, Talk to a Divorce Lawyer

By Erin Kelley

By: Gerri L Elder

Many people decide to divorce and take action before speaking with a divorce lawyer. The problem is, when action is taken before getting legal advice, crucial mistakes can be made.

If you are planning to separate, you should know the divorce laws are in your state before packing up and moving out of your home. Unless you are a victim of domestic violence or abuse, you should not move out of your residence before talking to a divorce lawyer. Doing so could constitute abandonment or hurt your divorce case in other ways.

When children are involved, it’s especially important to speak with a divorce lawyer before separating or making any custody or child support deals with your ex-spouse. In many cases, spouses can work out the details regarding their child?s care and support; however, no agreements should be made without getting legal advice first.

Your divorce lawyer can review any agreements you’ve made to be sure that your rights and the best interest of the child are best served. Child custody and child support agreements must be extremely detailed and specific to protect the parents and the child. Omissions of important details can cause major problems later on.

Likewise, if you and your spouse own a great deal of property or have assets to be divided, no agreements should be made without first getting the advice of a divorce lawyer. In some cases, an investigation into assets should be done before any negotiations to be sure all the cash and assets that should be on the table are there.

Protect your rights, your children and your finances by getting legal advice before doing anything that could hurt your divorce case. Find a local divorce lawyer in your state.

Full post as published by The Divorce Blog on April 02, 2009 (boomark / email).