Letting The Judge Decide Your Divorce
Taking your divorce case to court is not the best way to do things, but it will be necessary in many cases. Read below and learn what you can do to avoid court and then what you can do when court is inevitable.
Avoiding Divorce Court
From the beginning, some couples seem destined to work things out with little to no help from anyone else. It only takes one major issue where the couple cannot agree to force things to a new level, though. For example, couples may agree about child custody, assets, and more. However, things can come to a standstill if they don't also agree about debts.
Some couples opt for mediation to avoid court disagreements. Divorce mediation can be ordered by the judge as well. This way of resolving issues is less-expensive, less stressful, and more productive than having a judge make judgments about personal things like debt and visitation schedules. Mediators work with the couple and then with each party separately to bring about flexibility, creative ways of dealing with an issue, and compromises.
Another way of smoothing things over before heading to court is to utilize child and family therapy and to hire a child custody evaluator. Therapy is helpful for all parties and a professional child study can help show the couple more information about custody choices and more.
When Court Is Inevitable
Count on your divorce lawyer to guide you through court hearings, depositions, testimony, working with witnesses, and a myriad of other things connected with a contested divorce case. Review these tips for getting the most out of your time before the judge without losing your cool or the case.
You probably cannot hide your emotions completely, but venting to a friendly third party can help. You will need support during almost any type of divorce but much more so for contested issues. Just knowing that you have someone to talk to later about the court happenings can increase your calm.
You won't score any points with the judge by being vindictive, resorting to name-calling, or being disrespectful to your ex in court. No matter what your spouse does or says in court, just make notes and share them later with your lawyer.
You may not win every battle when both parties are equally entitled to property, debt, or child custody. Know ahead of time which battles are worthy of your effort and which can be compromised on. Stick to your guns only on what is most important to you.
Before court begins, discuss the above and more strategies with your family attorney.
Share