You can’t afford to make mistakes during a divorce or child custody case. For this reason, we recommend that you hire an attorney to handle all divorce proceedings. Our divorce lawyers in Grand Rapids and Ionia, MI, will be able to help you avoid some of the most common mistakes people make when getting divorced. That way, you’ll be able to save time, money, and energy.
Here are the most common mistakes you should avoid during a divorce.
is more complicated than just filing a few papers. In fact, there are specific court rules, procedures, and deadlines you’ll have to follow to make your divorce final. Even with simple divorce cases where there are no children involved, there are still assets that will need to be divided equally under Michigan law.
If you try to represent yourself during divorce proceedings, you’ll become quickly overwhelmed with paperwork and procedures. Hiring a divorce attorney will prevent your case from being dismissed for improperly filled out paperwork or missed deadlines. An attorney will also have your best interests in mind so your rights aren’t compromised.
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Even if you don’t have children to determine custody, you shouldn’t expect your case to get resolved as quickly as you would like. If you don’t have underage children, the fastest you can expect your divorce to take is two months.
Even this time frame is overly optimistic because it assumes both sides will be fair, honest, and willing to work with each other. Hard feelings during a divorce usually prevent this. If you have children, the quickest your divorce could be settled is 6 months. Again, this is assuming you and your spouse are agreeable on all issues.
We recommend that you hire a divorce lawyer to represent your case, especially if there are child custody disputes. The is often longer than clients expect.
While the last thing you might want to do is meet face-to-face with your spouse, mediation can be helpful for reaching agreements outside the courtroom. saves you the cost of a long drawn-out trial. If one of the reasons for divorce is abuse, ask your attorney if it’s possible to do mediation in separate rooms with the mediator acting as the go-between.
When judgments are passed down in the court of law, they can make it seem like there is a clear “winner” and “loser”. If your spouse thinks that they are losing out, they might try to obstruct the ruling as much as they can to cause trouble. On the other hand, people who come to an agreement themselves are more likely to abide by that agreement.
At Peterson Paletta Balice, we are proud to have divorce attorney Terese Paletta on our team. Not only is she one of very few lawyers in Grand Rapids who is a certified Child Welfare Law Specialist, but she also has extensive experience and training as a parenting coordination mediator.
It’s easy to get emotional during a divorce or child custody case. After all, you’d like to think you’ll still be a part of your child’s life after the divorce or that you’ll be able to support them on your own. Likewise, you may get emotional about splitting assets you worked so hard to build. These worries can grow and cause people to act emotionally in ways they wouldn’t otherwise.
It’s important you remember that judges care about facts, not emotions. An experienced divorce lawyer will be able to help you organize the facts of your case in a way that will produce the best outcome for you.
Ready to file for divorce and need legal counsel? Call Peterson Paletta Balice to schedule a consultation with one of our divorce attorneys in Grand Rapids and Ionia, MI. You may also fill out our online contact form and someone from our team will reach out to you soon.