Questions To Mull Over As You Prepare For Divorce
Preparing to meet with divorce attorneys to find one to represent you as you split from your spouse is never easy. To prepare, you should think about what you want out of the divorce and whether avoiding court is a goal for you. In addition to that, you're going to find questions flitting in and out of your mind; write these down so you remember to ask about them when you meet with an attorney. Some of the questions may be about things that seem small, but they are still worth thinking about.
Compensation vs. Property
As you and your ex-spouse divide up property, you're going to find things that both of you could claim. These can be small, like furniture, or they can be big, like the house. One solution is to have one person buy out the other's share (e.g., your ex pays you half of the value of the house, and you move out); another solution is to sell the item and split the proceeds. But if both of you want the property, that can lead to some very unpleasant discussions, to put it lightly. You need to think about how much the property actually means to you and if fair compensation would be acceptable if it meant getting the divorce over with faster.
What to Do With Subscriptions and Memberships
Couples often share subscriptions and memberships, and while it's easy to go get your own, you want the division of who is spending what money on these new subscriptions and memberships to be as fair as possible. You'll need to think about which ones you don't want to continue using and which ones you are OK with, regarding getting your own. You'll also need to think about what to do if you and your ex-spouse show up at the same place at the same time, such as at a gym you both go to. If the divorce is amicable, it might not be an issue. If the divorce is not amicable, you have to think about whether you'd be willing to get a membership somewhere else or if you want your ex to be the one to leave.
In-Law Contact
If you and your in-laws have become very fond of each other, you'll need to decide how to maintain contact, especially if your ex-spouse enters another relationship. You don't want to lose this wonderful connection with your former in-laws, but you don't want anyone thinking you're trying to aggravate your ex-spouse or their new partner. That could mean no longer celebrating holidays with them as a group, such as attending a Thanksgiving dinner, but you should be able to work out some way to stay in contact. Think about what you would want if your ex-spouse maintained contact with your family and go from there.
When you have thought about issues like these before seeing a divorce attorney, you get more of your questions answered early on. Don't feel like you have to ask everything at the first meeting, of course; it only helps to start thinking about things as soon as you can because you can get those questions out of the way and get a better idea of how to approach your divorce.
Contact a divorce law firm to learn more.