Have You Considered All Aspects of Your Impending Divorce?

How do you know if you should file for divorce? If you decide divorce might be the path you want to take, what are the first steps you should take? How will you find the divorce lawyer that will work to your benefit and not charge too much in fees? If you have children, how do you decide about custody or parenting plans? What will happen to you financially? Do you have enough money to support yourself? How will you know if you will be given any support or alimony or will you perhaps have to pay alimony or support to your former spouse? How long will the divorce process take? What will your family say? Who can you look to for understanding and emotional support? Will your friends remain your friends?

These questions and so many others will fill your mind when you consider or move forward in the divorce process.

Much of what happens in the divorce process is dependent on the cooperation of your spouse. If there is anger, frustration, infidelity, financial problems, or other serious emotional issues, it should be expected that all parts of the divorce process will escalate into upheaval, shouting and blaming and other high emotion responses. However there is the possibility of an uncontested divorce. What is an uncontested divorce? In simple terms, both spouses agree to the divorce and to the resulting divorce agreement. This is typically the simplest divorce process.

Divorce is a fairly common occurrence in recent years. If this is a first marriage, you would have the company of approximately 41% of other first marriages in the United States that end in divorce. A second marriage is even more likely to end in divorce, with the rate being at 60% and a staggering 73% of third marriages in the United States end in divorce. Is the reason that once you have been through the divorce process and survive, it is easier to go through the process again?

If you have made the decision to move toward a divorce, the most important step in the divorce process is usually finding your divorce attorney. Do you know how to find a divorce lawyer? Many people take recommendations from a friend or acquaintance who has gotten a divorce and found the attorney to be affordable, ethical and willing to fight for the best divorce agreement possible.

If you have made a decision to file for divorce and you have children, you want to find the best child custody lawyer. Custody issues can be the most volatile aspects of the divorce process. A good divorce lawyer will give you accurate choice and not make promises or give options that he or she cannot actually accomplish or provide. If you have the option to meet with a mediator to develop a fair parenting plan, this might be a productive choice. Oftentimes communication during the divorce process is so strained that agreements and decisions cannot be made. A mediator can help in that situation.

What are your financial obligations and benefits? This is the second area that must be carefully reviewed and all aspects taken into account. Decisions made in the divorce process that relate to finances could likely affect the rest of your life. You will want to make sure you have all of the information you need and have been given full information regarding the implications of your decisions. If something does not feel right, ask questions. Go to family or a trusted friend to review what you are told by the attorney. You will get input and questions that you may not have thought of and it will give you a new perspective.

During the divorce process and after the divorce, if you have children, you will want to keep informed of how the children are handling the divorce. Statistics show that children of divorce are more likely to have future problems, they are twice as likely to drop out of high school. Children of divorced parents are less likely to go to college.

Divorce is an issue to be carefully considered and not taken lightly, no matter your circumstances.