Divorce is an emotionally charged and often overwhelming point in one’s life. Due to the stress of divorce paperwork filing and going through the process, there are a few mistakes that are commonly made.

  1. Letting Emotions Lead the Way: Although divorce can be stressful and an emotionally overwhelming experience, letting anger and resentment overrun logic and reasoning can jeopardize the end results of the final separation.
  2. Involving Children in Disputes: Spouses who are in the process of divorce and involve their children in their disputes find themselves in an unfavorable position to most judges as it creates unnecessary stress for the children. This can also be viewed as a manipulation tactic.
  3. Accepting One-Sided Agreements: It’s understandable to want to get through the divorce process as fast as possible to be able to move forward, but accepting one-sided agreements puts your post-divorce plans at a disadvantage.
  4. Not Double-Checking Paperwork: Each piece of paperwork should be reviewed by the spouse and the attorney in fine detail to ensure that there is no room for error in future proceedings.
  5. Refusing to Communicate with Your Spouse: A lack of communication leaves room for more arguments and misunderstandings to happen. Even if the divorce isn’t amicable, it’s important to set emotions aside long enough to receive the arrangement that works best for both individuals.
  6. Taking Advice from Friends, Family, & The Internet: Friends and family are great for emotional support, but taking advice from loved ones and strangers will come from an emotionally charged and often one-sided perspective. Legal advice should be left to your attorney.
  7. Hiding or Not Presenting Documentation: Avoiding presenting all necessary documentation can delay complex divorce proceedings and hurt the trust between you and the attorney.
  8. Lying to the Attorney: As mentioned above, lying or hiding any crucial information damages the established trust you and your attorney are meant to have. Lying also disrupts the legal system, wastes precious time of all parties involved, and makes clients look bad in the eyes of the judge while providing leverage for the opposing legal team.
  9. Making Oral Agreements: All agreements need to be written and documented by your attorney to be considered legally binding. Oral agreements will not be supported in a court of law and do not have to be followed through without evidence to prove the agreement was made in the first place.
  10. Not Considering Post-Divorce Arrangements: One of the last most common mistakes recent divorcees make is not planning ahead. Your life changes entirely after a divorce, so it’s important to think about where you intend to live, if you’ll change jobs, if you need to purchase new assets, and so on.

Contact Our Divorce Attorney to Learn More

Zawada Family Law is a local law firm serving Auburn, Grafton, Millbury, MA, and the surrounding areas. Our divorce attorneys handle complicated divorces that include matters such as high-asset division, child custody arrangements, alimony arrangements, and more. To learn more about our firm and services, contact us today.