Divorce Court 101: Know Before You Go
The best case scenario for those going through a divorce is to work everything out before going to court. If you and your spouse can do so, you will be saving yourselves a lot of time, money and stress. When you are facing court, however, you must be prepared. There are a few things you need to know about this experience, so read on to learn more.
1. Before you give up, give mediation a try: This method of resolving disputes between divorcing couples is so well-respected in some places that it is actually a pretrial requirement. It works like this: a neutral third party professional helps you work on one issue at a time until you resolve it. Every issue resolved is one less issue to take to court. Another closely-related way of dealing with divorce disagreements is using collaborative divorce. This is an entirely unique way of approaching divorce that uses mediation as but one tool in an arsenal of many to make the divorce process less adversarial.
2. Get some help: Divorce is stressful, and emotions can run high, which is only natural when you consider what's involved. Therapy can help you to cope better and deal with whatever may happen in a more thoughtful and meditative manner. Coping skills are even more important if you have children, and therapy for them could also help the situation along.
3. Speaking of children: Your goal should be to minimize the impact on them as much as possible. A court is no place for a child, so make arrangements for their care. If child custody is an issue, you may be asked to undergo a child custody evaluation. This process allows the judge to appoint a professional with specialized training to interview the child and the parents in an effort to determine who will be the best custodial parent. If you have an older child and they are willing, the judge may hear their opinion on custody in some manner. State rules vary on this issue, and children of any age are seldom questioned in open court.
4. Leave your emotions at home: Family court judges have likely seen it all, but you can just count on your behavior as being a huge factor in court. The way you deal with court will either show a well-adjusted, mature-acting intelligent person or a raving maniac and everything in between. No matter how you are provoked, remain calm and be respectful; it will say a lot about you when it comes to not only issues like child custody, but the division of marital debts and property and much more.
To learn more tips about divorce settlement, speak to your divorce attorney.
