What is the Best Way to Prepare Myself for Divorce?

 Posted on November 03, 2023 in Divorce

While most people are familiar with the concept of divorce, the vast majority are not aware of what is actually involved. It is natural to be unfamiliar with all the aspects of a divorce if you have never actually been through one yourself. You may have concluded that divorce makes the most sense for you, but probably have many questions about the next steps. One thing is certain: preparing yourself for the process is a great way to understand your rights and how to advocate for them. If you are considering divorce and want to make sure you are doing proper planning to be prepared for what will come, a Naperville, IL, divorce lawyer can walk you through the process and describe what you can expect to deal with.

I’ve Decided to Get a Divorce. Now What?

If you are sure that divorce is the right move for you, your best bet is to seek a lawyer with a proven history of advocating for their client’s rights and ensuring a divorce settlement that they can feel comfortable with. You will want to find a law firm that has a lot of divorce-related experience. Depending on whether you and your spouse share children, expensive property, high assets, or include otherwise special circumstances, you should look for a law firm that has already won similar cases for their clients in the past.

When you feel confident that you have found a lawyer experienced in dealing with your specific kind of case, you will also want to make sure that they can give you a realistic sense of what you might expect, and that you can communicate comfortably with each other. As soon as you have found representation you are happy with, they will begin preparing you for your divorce by guiding you to do several things, including:

• Calculate whatever marital debt you may have.

• Check your credit score and if it is not ideal, look into ways for you to improve it.

• Calculate how much your family generally spends per month (home fees, insurance, school fees, groceries, health care, etc.) to help you figure out how much money you may need so you can maintain your household.

• Envision what you would consider an ideal divorce settlement, including whatever agreements about property division, asset and debt division, spousal support, child support, and parental responsibilities, and take time to consider whether you could realistically expect your future ex-spouse to find this reasonable.

• Think about where you envision yourself living after the divorce and consider whether this is reasonable from a financial perspective.

• Make an inventory of any valuable personal items you may have, including family heirlooms, works of art, jewelry, etc.

• Collect important documents about your finances (bank statements, savings or retirement accounts, tax returns, etc.).

Schedule a Free Consultation with a DuPage County, IL Divorce Preparation Attorney

If you are headed toward divorce, preparing yourself for what will happen is a great way to protect your rights. You can prepare yourself mentally, by having someone describe in detail what you can expect from a divorce like yours, and you can prepare yourself in actuality, by gathering necessary information that will help back whatever claims you may wish to make. An experienced Naperville, IL divorce lawyer can help with both of these aspects, by explaining all the parts of a divorce proceeding, telling you what information you should be collecting before the proceedings begin, and answering any questions you may have. Call Pesce Law Group, P.C. at 630-352-2240 to schedule a free consultation.