Divorce Legal Mistakes
July 15th, 2006 (Divorce)
1. Believing your spouse will be fair and cooperative. Expect the worst, but allow yourself to be surprised.
2. Having totally unrealistic expectations or demands regarding your case.
3. Not asking appropriate questions, or signing documents without understanding them.
4. Withholding information from your attorney, and/or dumping the entire case in her lap. You should not be a passive participant here.
5. Not double-checking facts and figures the other side, or even your attorney, gives you. This includes any invoices from your law firm.
6. Allowing emotions rather than logical thinking to rule your legal decisions. Knee-jerk responses are usually inappropriate. Give yourself time to calm down and think first.
7. Expecting the legal system to be fair and see things from your perspective.
8. Allowing too much time to pass before enforcing a court order or agreed-upon support.
9. Forgetting the tax ramifications of legal decisions. That’s why having a separate financial advisor or, at the very least, seeing issues from another perspective helps immensely.
10. Being a hindrance - not a help - to your case. For instance, it’s not wise to annoy your attorney by not paying her or pestering her ad infinitum.