Whether you are surprised by a divorce petition or not, you may have a lot of questions about how to respond. Do you need to do anything? What happens if you don't respond?
It's normal to have a lot of questions. The good news is that a divorce lawyer can help you with your response so you don't miss something important.
You Have a Time Limit to Respond
The first thing you need to know is that the clock starts ticking when you are served with papers.
Separating from the parent of your children is hard for you and the children involved. When there are no children involved, you can part ways and then heal on your own schedule. However, sharing children may require you to maintain an amicable relationship with your former spouse. Children are often the innocent victims of a divorce. It is important to make sure they do not feel like they are at fault for the separation and they should not have to be forced to choose a parent.
For the most part, the times you'll be communicating with your divorce attorney while your marriage is dissolving will be when documents are required, there is a question about your finances or assets, or you have a court date for child custody or other things. However, there are other times you'll want to get in touch with your divorce attorney while your case is still ongoing, and you don't want to miss out on opportunities for discussion.
Some couples realize that they want to get a divorce early into the marriage and do it while they are young. However, others don't make the choice until much later in life. They may be sticking together due to kids that have not yet left the house or because they didn't run into marital problems until they became older. If you find yourself going through a divorce later in life, here are some tips to help you get through it.
If you and your spouse are going through a divorce and you're going to be left with a considerable amount of marital debt, it might be time to consider bankruptcy. One of the benefits of filing for bankruptcy is that the process will allow you to get out from under the debt that you'll be stuck with. This is particularly beneficial if your spouse racked up a lot of debt during the marriage.
