Making Sure You’re Prepared For Divorce

If you are planning to file for divorce, it’s important that you are prepared for the weeks that lie ahead. Often times individuals go into a divorce not knowing what to expect and showing up  to meetings and hearings unprepared. As with any legal matter, there are certain things you need to consider and be prepared to address, regardless of whether you have chosen to resolve your divorce in mediation, arbitration or trial.

The following checklist contains important aspects that need to be addressed and discussed during a divorce:

• Custody and visitation arrangements for your children
• Child support arrangements for your children
  • Medical insurance and benefits for your children
  • Payments for education and extracurricular activities for the children
• Alimony arrangements
  • Medical insurance and benefits for your spouse
  • Whether or not one spouse paid for another spouse’s education tuition
• Life insurance policies as a protection for child support or alimony
• Tax Exemptions
• How income taxes will be filed
• Bankruptcy issues (if applicable)
• Property Division 
  • How property will be divided, particularly real estate
  • How investments, stocks, bonds, savings, etc. will be divided
  • How debts will be handled
  • How pensions, IRA accounts, 401K accounts, etc. will be handled
  • How personal items, such as jewelry, furniture, art, collectibles, etc. will be handled
  • Discovery of hidden assets (if applicable)
• If domestic violence was an issue during the marriage
  • If a restraining order had been issued at any point
• Name changes
• Attorney fees, mediator or arbitrator expenses, or any other legal fees or payments pertaining to the divorce

The best way to prepare for a divorce is by consulting an experienced divorce attorney. An attorney will be able to go over all of these topics with you and ensure you are prepared throughout the divorce process.