No divorce is simple, even if both parties are willing to work together to resolve it. While many couples are able to avoid divorce court and settle through mediation, arbitration or their own negotiations, others run into trouble with disputes they simply can't get past.
If you are going through a divorce, there are some tips that can help you avoid disputes like those, so you can move on. Here are three tips to help you negotiate and end your divorce more quickly.
If you've decided to get a divorce from your spouse, you may be ready to separate but not know how to go about doing so. The steps you take next could impact your case over time, so it's smart to do what you can to prepare.
Usually, people discuss the idea of a divorce before going to their attorneys, but it can be more beneficial to you to seek support from an attorney before you speak with your spouse about divorce. Why? Once you speak with your spouse, they could make it harder for you to access your bank account or shared accounts, limit access to certain assets or even hide assets that you don't have proof of existing. Taking the time to collect documents and speak with your attorney first helps avoid that situation.
Child custody can become a contentious topic for some couples, and it is easy for you to shut down and stop listening when your ex-spouse gets angry or frustrated with the situation. For your own sanity and the sake of your children, it's important that you and your ex-spouse are able to be civil with one another.
Being reasonable is possible, even if you and your ex-spouse don't get along. Some easy ways to help ease the tension of your custody arrangements include:
Child support is typically paid by the parent who has visitation (but not primary custody) and sees their child less often. Their child may live with them only a couple days a week or just as often as with the other parent.
For parents who have custody more often, child support can be a helpful benefit. It's there to provide additional funds for raising the child, much like in a two-family household. Some people argue that this places an unfair burden on the other parent, but the goal is to make the situation fairer for the child at both homes.
There's no question that it can be difficult to set up a child custody arrangement that works for you. Even though you and the other parent have raised your child together in the past, it's far different to do so in two different households.
It can be particularly difficult to come up with a schedule during the school year. For children who are young, schooling is fairly straightforward. They leave in the morning and return in the afternoon. This simple schedule rarely changes and makes it easier for parents to schedule around their children's schooling.
Child support is sometimes viewed negatively, but the truth is that it's important for providing a supportive home to a child. When one parent out-earns the other, child support can be a way to boost the quality of the child's living environment with a lesser-earning parent. It's also a payment that shows that the parent who does not have primary custody is focused on providing stability for their child.
Children in Illinois have a right to support from both parents. A noncustodial parent has to pay support to the custodial parent. The way that the state comes up with the amount owed can be complex, with many factors being considered. Some factors that play a role in determining the amount of child support to be paid include:
Child support is a payment that is usually paid monthly by a higher-earning parent to the other, lower-earning parent. The support can be used for many things, including expenses that both directly benefit the child (like school clothing) and indirectly benefit the child (like the cost of a home in a better neighborhood in which the child can thrive).
What happens, however, if you're paying support and you firmly believe that your child's other parent is wasting the money on unrelated expenses? In those cases, it's fair to talk to your attorney about seeking a modification in custody or support.
Boiled down, a prenuptial agreement, or prenup for short, is a private, documented and signed agreement between a couple before marriage. The prenup dictates how their assets will be allocated upon death or divorce and each state has differing laws on how to enforce and validate a prenup.
Other factors to understand regarding prenups include fairness, full disclosure, counsel, planning, premarital assets, setting alimony terms, property division and child support and rights; all of which will be discussed further below.
Every divorce has four main issues that need to be discussed, even if they don't necessarily apply to your case. Most attorneys will bring up property division, spousal maintenance, custody and parenting time as well as child support during your first consultation.
Without children involved in the divorce, you won't have to worry about custody or child support, so those two factors will quickly fall to the wayside. The other factors, however, will remain important in your divorce discussions.
For young children, routines are very important. Unfortunately, with divorce, routines are usually ruined. New routines have to be put into place as you begin working with a custody schedule and have different homes for your child to live in.
The trouble with breaking a child's routine is that it can take time for them to adjust, and they could act out or struggle psychologically with those changes. Though you and your ex-spouse are not living together, there are some things you can do to help.
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