If the divorce process between you and your spouse seems very amicable, you might decide to skip getting a lawyer due to how civil things are. However, this could end up being a bad decision to go it alone. It is worth having a lawyer on your side for the following three reasons.
Dividing Assets & Settling Debt
One of the most challenging parts of a divorce can be diving the jointly owned assets between you and your spouse. While many couples think that dividing assets only applies to a physical property, like a car or the house, know that it also applies to non-physical assets.
For instance, you might have debt that needs to be divided between both parties. This can happen if there is a jointly owned charge card that both people were using at the same time, or if a person took on a debt for their spouse with the hopes that you would pay it off together over time.
You'll need the help of a lawyer to help ensure that the debts go to the right person after a divorce. Since you cannot legally transfer the debt from one person to the other, it may involve a payment plan to ensure that the proper person receives the money they need to pay off the debt.
Keep The Process Moving
Chances are that your upcoming divorce will be the first time that you go through it. Much like buying a home for the first time, the legal process can be challenging without someone to guide you through it.
A lawyer will help ensure that documents have been filed by the deadlines, and keep everything moving smoothly. Not having the paperwork filed on time can potentially delay the entire divorce process, which is something you would rather not deal with if the hope is to end the marriage quickly.
Settle Custody
When children are involved in a marriage, the hardest part can be deciding on a custody situation. This is something that you want to work out in mediation if possible, because it puts you in control of the outcome rather than leave it to a judge to decide.
Your lawyer can help guide these discussions about child custody to help come to a favorable outcome. The goal will be to come to an agreement that not only works for both parties, but also for all your children. Contact an attorney, like Tise Allan Brandon, for more help.
Share26 February 2018
Are you going through a divorce? Do you have kids? If so, do you know how to handle the many struggles you will face when it comes to your kids? Even if you and your spouse can get through the divorce while agreeing on the custody arrangements, there will be struggles that you may not have planned for. For example, who will handle the educational, medical or other decisions about the kids? Is it something that you will decide together, or will one parent make the decision and the other one agree? My site contains several tips that can help you plan for the struggles you will go through in the future and make the situation a little easier for your entire family.