Avoid These Common Mistakes During Your Divorce

Going through a divorce is always difficult, but the decisions you make and the steps you take will drastically affect the ultimate settlement you receive. Our skilled family lawyers have seen many common mistakes made during the divorce process. It is important that you understand these common mistakes so you can avoid them and have your divorce finalized as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Not Changing Your Estate Plan

There is a lot to think about when you are going through a divorce. It is easy to get wrapped up in the details and forget to make the appropriate changes to your estate plan. If you do not change your will, trusts, and your life insurance policy, you may leave assets to your spouse you did not intend to. Additionally, family members you did want to receive an inheritance may lose out on it because the necessary changes were not made.

Involving Your Children

If your divorce will involve children, it is important to understand that they are going to be affected by the divorce. It is important to keep them in mind when making decisions on how to act and how to litigate your case. Your children should never be involved in the litigation albeit there are times when unfortunately circumstances require it. If your children come to you asking questions about what is going on you should try and comfort them and advise them that they are loved and that you and your spouse will always be there for them, that everything is going to be fine. Never badmouth your spouse to your kids, and do not try to alienate your kids from their other parent. This will only hurt you in court and may even cost you child custody. In some cases it is recommend that the family  take part in family counseling to assist the children in coping with the changes that will taking place.

Ending Financial Support

If you were the higher-earning spouse in the marriage and paid for your partner’s car insurance or other expenses, you may feel tempted to stop this support as soon as the divorce process begins. Doing so will cause you to look very bad in front of the judge, and the court may order you to pay more to your spouse in alimony afterwards. In some counties, this behavior is also strictly prohibited and could cause you to be sanctioned by the Court. Continue providing your spouse with financial support until you have a legally binding court order that says you can stop.

Hiding Assets

It is normal to want to protect yourself when going through a divorce. You may even want to hide some assets that are particularly valuable to you so they are not subject to property division. This tactic rarely works. The law requires you to provide full disclosure about your assets, so you must remain transparent about your income and what you own. If you do not, the other side will learn of the hidden assets and you will face legal and financial consequences. Not to mention, if you are found to have hidden assets or attempted to dispose of assets without court approval you may be subject to sanctions.

Not Working with a Florida Family Lawyer

You are not required to work with an Orlando family lawyer while going through a divorce, but it is always recommended that you do. At Anderson & Ferrin, our skilled attorneys can advise on the many divorce laws of the state and how they apply to your case so you can make informed decisions and secure a fair settlement. Call us today at 407-412-7041 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help.