Whether you and your spouse agree or not, your marriage is over. The steps you take next may very well help set the course for how the divorce process moves forward.
Preparing yourself for divorce plays a significant factor in how you fare. Our team of professionals is sympathetic to the toll divorce may take. Familiarize yourself with a few actions you can take before filing that may help you move on faster.
Make financial preparations
Regardless of the length of your marriage, you and your spouse likely have joint assents and property. Florida is an equitable distribution state, so the court looks at several factors when dividing property. Some questions to consider include:
- What was my financial contribution?
- What was my emotional contribution?
- Did I stay home to raise children?
- Did my spouse advance because I stayed home?
- How much nonmarital property do we each have?
Formulate parenting strategies
If you have children, then you will need to create a timesharing schedule and get a determination of custody. The court prefers to equally split legal custody between the parties, enabling each parent to make decisions for the children, and gain equal access to education and healthcare records. Physical custody is first left up to the parents to hash out before the court intervenes. The couple must come to a visitation agreement that contains a schedule of where the children will reside on a day-to-day basis. Come up with a general idea of how you see timesharing between you and your spouse. Prepare yourself for compromise when it comes to smaller issues.
Divorce is also an emotionally draining process. Developing a trusted network to offer support in your time of need is critical for your wellbeing. Take a look at more information on what you might expect by visiting our website here.