If either you or your spouse may be thinking about a divorce, the first thing you should do is consult with an attorney who handles divorce matters in your area.  Too often I meet with people who have talked to friends or family and been given totally wrong information about one or more issues they will face in the event of a divorce.  These sources are great to get advice from in many instances but a possible divorce is not one of them.  Friends and family are very important for both emotional and possibly financial support but don’t rely on them for divorce  advice.

One of the things I enjoy most about my practice is meeting new people and finding out about how I can help them deal with their particular circumstances.  Every person’s situation is unique.  A divorce lawyer can advise you regarding your specific circumstances and tell you what you should be doing as well as things you should not be doing to put yourself in the best possible position to either get the best settlement or prepare yourself for a potential trial.  This is even more important for people who may not be familiar with the particular facts surrounding their finances or how much income they have.  There might be things like specific expenses for children or other reasons to cause you to want to go ahead and file, wait to file or not file at all.  If you think you might have to deal with a divorce, go see a lawyer and find out what issues are going to be important in your situation as soon as you can.  Without a doubt dealing with a potential divorce is stressful enough.  Don’t compound your anxiety by not getting real answers to your questions from a lawyer who knows how to answer them.