Divorces are often sad, emotional, expensive, and difficult. Even if a partner is toxic or the marriage ended years ago, divorce can bring up negative emotions that can cloud judgment. That this happens at the same time people are making significant financial decisions that will impact them, their ex, and their children for years to come, means it can be a very dangerous combination. Finding a family lawyer in Oxford MS who can keep clients focused on long-term goals and help clients make decisions governed by logic rather than emotion is an important step in the divorce process.
Be Honest
When consulting an attorney, it may be tempting to portray the other spouse as the bad person in the scenario. In some circumstances, it may be true that the other party is wholly responsible for the dissolution of the marriage and is doing shady things. However, in most divorces, both people share some responsibility for the divorce and both people have probably engaged in behaviors that were not productive or conducive to reaching an amicable agreement.
A family law attorney needs to know what a client has done to prepare for it. The attorney also needs to know what type of threat, if any, the other spouse poses to the client and any children. An attorney needs to know if there has been any type of abuse, even if the client does not want to use abuse as one of the grounds for divorce.
Be Realistic
Property divisions, custody divisions, child support, and alimony are largely decided by a schedule. Unless there is some significant and substantial reason to deviate from standard orders, the family law judge is probably going to stick pretty close to those standard orders. Understanding what the likely outcome will be is important when making decisions about when to settle and when to fight an ex on an issue.
Focusing on realistic outcomes can help ensure emotions are not driving decisions. A client with limited marital financial resources may do better, financially, by accepting a sub-par settlement than the client would by fighting about the settlement.
Listen to the Lawyer
It is important to find a family lawyer in Oxford MS that can help a client focus on the long-run. Contact us for more information.
