Many people associate divorce with being contentious after hearing stories about how other people went through the process. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be that way. Here are some tips for making sure that your divorce is as amicable as possible.
Determine Your Main Goals For Divorce
The key to having an amicable divorce is to work with your spouse instead of working against them. The best way to do this is to set your goals right from the start so that you can stay focused on them. For example, your goal for divorce may be to determine how custody of your children is handled. Stating your goal upfront will help communicate what is important to you to your spouse.
Don't Use Time During Mediation As Therapy
It's normal to feel hurt and upset during a divorce, but it does not do you any good to bring these feelings up in mediation. It's best to seek other outlets to talk about these things, such as with a therapist or friends and family. If your feelings are not going to contribute to the outcome of your divorce then it is not appropriate to bring them up. It will only delay the process and cause things to be more stressful as you start conflict.
Treat Your Spouse How You Want To Be Treated
While you may not want to treat your spouse nicely during a divorce, it's important to remember to treat others how you want to be treated. If you are argumentative with your spouse, they are going to be argumentative back. On the flip side, responding to their anger with more anger is only going to escalate the situation. It's in your best interest to remain calm and be an example of proper behavior during a divorce.
Know When To Compromise
You will never get everything in a divorce, and the same can be said about your spouse as well. You'll want to know when it is the right time to compromise. Know what is important to your spouse and yourself, so that you can make compromises to reach those goals. If you don't compromise and try to get everything you want, you may end up in a situation where you go in front of a judge and they make the decision for you. As long as you stay in mediation, you have full control over the outcome of your divorce.
Reach out to a divorce attorney for more tips on having a more amicable divorce.
What do family lawyers really do? Most people know that they help clients in divorce proceedings, but this is only a small piece of their job. These attorneys also help draft custody arrangements, create adoption contracts, formulate prenuptial agreements, and designate alternative guardianship of kids in situations of abuse. As you can probably guess, working as a family lawyer requires tact, compassion, and an endless drive to do good. We are passionate about the work that these attorneys do, which is why we chose to write about that work on this blog. Our hope is that in reading these articles, you will also develop an improved understanding of family law.