Three Common Divorce Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Lack of organization, being dishonest with the court about your financial situation and making exaggerated claims about how horrible your ex-spouse is will not help you get a fair divorce settlement but being transparent with your divorce lawyer will.
Most divorced people will tell you that they never felt angrier, more stressed, and more overwhelmed than they did while their divorce case was pending. Even though you might feel like your life is falling apart, it is important to behave professionally during your divorce case. Once the court gets involved, divorce is not strictly personal; it is a legal manner. You might feel like going into apocalyptic battle mode to make sure that your ex does not get a penny of your hard-earned money but remember that the divorce court does not decide that one spouse wins and the other loses. Pursuant to the community property laws in Texas, each spouse gets half of the marital property in a divorce, which means that everyone loses, and everyone loses equally. Likewise, the last thing you feel like doing after your spouse dumps you is paperwork, but if you do not, it can only reduce your chances of getting what you want out of your divorce. The Fort Worth divorce lawyers at the Law Office of Kyle Whitaker can help you manage your finances and your emotions during your divorce.
Disorganization and Missing Deadlines
If you submit documents late or submit incomplete documents, the least severe consequence is that the judge will be annoyed and impatient with you. If you do not respond to your spouse’s divorce petition within 30 days, the worst scenario will happen, namely that the court will grant your spouse a default divorce. This means that the court will grant all the requests your spouse makes in the divorce petition. Even though you are still entitled to half of the marital property, the court can still grant your spouse’s requests to stay in the marital home and to have the children stay with her every Christmas, for example. The best way to avoid this problem is to hire a divorce lawyer who knows which documents to file and when, and where to find the necessary information.
Hiding Assets From the Court
Lying to the court always backfires. Sometimes people in the midst of divorce try to hide assets so that the value of the marital property to be divided will be lower. Eventually, the court will find the hidden assets and order you to give your ex-spouse half of them.
Letting Your Emotions Dictate What You Say About Your Ex-Spouse
Vilifying your spouse in court is also a bad idea; your spouse’s misdeeds will speak for themselves. It is fine to talk to your friends about how awful your spouse is but using the court as a platform to trash your ex only makes you look unprofessional. If you have children, you should not say negative things about your ex in front of them because this can count against you in parenting time decisions.
Contact the Fort Worth Law Office of Kyle Whitaker About Messy Divorce Cases
A family law attorney can help you cope with the stress and the volumes of paperwork involved in a divorce. Contact the Law Office of Kyle Whitaker in Fort Worth, Texas, to discuss your case.