When you go through a divorce, it is easy to make a mistake. You want things to be over as quickly as possible and this means that you will do something wrong. It is understandable to want it to be over but you still need to be careful. Here are some things you should not do to ensure that your divorce is as legal as possible.
Don’t Hide Any Assets
One of the key things about divorce is that you divide your shared assets with your partner. This means that everything from your house to money in the bank has to be split up. It doesn’t mean literally. For example, you can negotiate to get ownership of your house if you promise to pay for your ex-partner’s share with other assets. You can also liquidate everything into cash and divide the proceeds between the two of you.
Some individuals try to outsmart this. Divorces usually require an accountant to look over and evaluate all the assets and debts in the relationship. They think that if they hide money in an unknown account or have property off the books, they can enjoy it later after the divorce. The best approach is honesty. If your ex’s lawyers discover your asset hiding, they will be savage about it. Avoid any issues by just presenting all your assets without hiding anything.
Don’t Give The Divorce Papers Yourself
While it may seem strange, you should not be the one to directly give the divorce papers to your partner. Depending on the laws of your state, you need a process server. While you can do this informally by having a friend or a delivery person do it, this would be better to have a professional do it. Process service companies such as Serve Index LLC make it their job to properly serve court papers. They can be a big help if you don’t know where your ex is or they are off somewhere remote.
Process serving is an essential part of the divorce process. If your ex does not receive the papers, then the court can dismiss your divorce claim. Working with a professional server ensures that they receive the papers and that all the paperwork is filed.
Don’t Deny Visitation – Unless You Have a Good Reason
It can be tempting to hide your children from your ex. But unless there is a good reason for it, you should never deny them their visitation rights. They could easily turn your denial into something more so you have to be careful. One good reason to deny visitation rights is if you fear for your child’s safety. If the reason for your divorce is domestic abuse, then you should coordinate with your lawyer to suspend or modify visitation rights.
For example, if your ex is a drunk and you fear that they might harm your child when they visit, then you need to present proof of that. Full suspension of visitation rights is for the worst cases while modifying it is also possible. Supervised visitations ensure that nothing bad happens during them and that your ex will be on their best behavior. Your ex might chafe at this but if you suspect that they might harm your child then it is better safe than sorry.
Don’t Start a Relationship
While it can a nice way to show you are moving on, starting a relationship is not a good idea when you are in the middle of a divorce. For one, it is bad for the relationship. It begins the entire thing during a hard time in your life so it will not likely end well.
Second, it can potentially affect your divorce. Judges consider you still married so don’t look kindly on your dating until the divorce is final. This might prejudice their decisions against you. Additionally, this might enrage your ex. You want them to be as cooperative as possible. If you parade a new relationship in front of them, they will not take it well. They can easily ask their lawyer to call up your new partner to the stand so that they can be cross-examined. No one wants that to happen so it is better to just wait until the divorce is final before pursuing any relationships.
Divorces are difficult enough without any mistakes. If it is a bitter one, your ex might use it to their advantage. Be sure that you are following all the legal standards and listen to your lawyer. This ensures that your divorce will be as smooth as possible and that you will come out of it fine.
