1. Consider Pre-Divorce Planning: it may not feel “romantic” to discuss the possibility of divorce with your spouse. But if the two of you can appreciate the practicality of such a conversation now, it can save you money and heartache in the future should divorce become a reality.
2. Be Proactive: If you or your spouse is considering divorce, don’t put your head in the sand and hope it goes away. Use this time to find an attorney you are comfortable with so if the time to split comes you have a knowledgeable ally at the ready.
3. Choose your lawyer carefully: Even for people who are not celebrities or high net worth individuals, the choice of a divorce lawyer is critical. It is difficult enough having to deal with divorce and child custody issues. Compounding those problems are the difficulties of being a consumer of domestic relations law services. It is therefore imperative that the law firm you choose is one that is familiar with the law and getting things done. The lawyers at the law firm you choose may get involved in many intimate aspects of your life. Make sure that the lawyers at your side are ones with whom you feel you have good “chemistry.” You need to click with them. And finally, the law firm you choose to represent you should have the resources, human and otherwise, to support the uniqueness and complexities of your case. Otherwise, in a time of crisis you may feel stranded or outgunned.
4. Work Together to Preserve Your Estate: As hard as it may be (especially if an extramarital affair is involved), working with your spouse to create an amicable resolution saves time and money. If children are involved this is even more critical. For example: while it may feel good to “out” a spouse for an affair, in some cases this could jeopardize his or her job. If (s)he is the breadwinner of the family, this could compromise your ability to receive support for years to come. Of course if you suspect your spouse is hiding assets, this may not be possible. But if you are able to work openly and honestly with your spouse, the payoff will outweigh the initial emotional hurt tenfold.
If international custody issues could arise, it is even more critical that you are proactive when considering divorce. Perhaps the Woods discussed the children moving with their mother back to her home country upon a divorce. Perhaps not. But now, less than a year after his scandal broke, Tiger has a tarnished image, hundreds of millions less in his bank account, and may find himself living in a country without his kids. Learn a lesson by his example: if divorce is on your horizon, be proactive, find competent counsel, and set aside emotion while working with your spouse to preserve the marital estate.
Finally, people often think they need a “tough” lawyer or a “shark.” There is a legitimate time and place for being tough. Being tough all the time, however, often leads to useless and counterproductive fighting. And in the field of family law there are lots of fights not worth having. Instead, what most people really want is a results-oriented lawyer. Such a lawyer is tough when necessary, but also capable of resolving conflicts. In a word, a results-oriented lawyer is one who can modulate; one that can adapt to any given situation and resolves cases in ways that make sense for their clients. To familiarize yourself with the results-oriented family law attorneys at Zashin & Rich, please visit http://www.zrfamilylaw.com