Sunday, July 27, 2008

Divorce Strategies - Don't Be Deterred

By Allison Thompson

Divorce can be a very traumatic event in a person's life. Those who find themselves in a situation that leads to divorce feel betrayed, shocked, inferior, depressed, belittled and angered by what is happening. However, it is not wise to try and keep a relationship going if there is no hope and once every possible solution has been considered and discussed by you both.

It is important that you do not force either one of you to work at your failed marriage just because you have children. There are reasons for why relationships end - it was not the best one to begin with, it's also may be because the couple have grown apart or it could be one of them has changed so much that they aren't who they were when they got married. The best thing you can do for the children in a divorce situation is to work it out in a civilized manner and always be honest with the children with regards to what is happening.

Unfortunately, many divorces are made far worse by one party being either vindictive or hostile; and even in a divorce where that is not the case, the first thing (possibly after child custody) that is going to be the target of interest is the money and the assets. In a way, a marriage is a business deal, and this business is now being broken up. So you need to understand how to navigate these possibly hostile waters and come out alright. For this you'll need a strategy, and you'll also need tactics. Neither is romantic, but both are necessary.

Your strategy is what you want to achieve. For instance, are you truly interested in taking the house, or do you just want to get enough of the home's equity in your settlement so you can make it on your own while you go through transition? Whatever your strategy is, however, you need to understand that it is no good at all to let yourself be made into a sacrificial lamb. You may think you're being nice, but that's not what a divorce is about. It's about fairness and justice, and there isn't going to be much of that unless your strategy is to get all that you truly feel is yours by right.

The tactics you use are going to be moves which help you to achieve your strategic goals by the end of the divorce case. Having great tactics is similar to you playing a good game of chess, they help you to set up to win and they can help you to block or react to those moves being made by your soon to be ex-spouse. These tactics need to be well calculated and you should not be overly emotional when considering them as it could leave you open and vulnerable. Also although your spouse use to be nice, the stresses placed on a person during divorce can turn them in someone who will stop at nothing to get what they want. It is important that you don't back down from using your tactics, unless you discover that they aren't actually working for you.

If your divorce is contested--meaning at least one of you doesn't want to accept it or doesn't want to agree on a fair settlement--be prepared for it to take two years or more to have the papers signed. Do not set your heart on a specific time frame or date for final settlement.

It is important that you make sure you consult a divorce lawyer you know or who is recommended to you with regards to your divorce strategy and tactics. Although it isn't romantic, a divorce lawyer is a very important part of getting the divorce process done properly.

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