When couples are going through divorce it’s an emotionally charged time and it’s easy to make decisions in haste that you may regret later.  Your emotions need to be kept in check for you to reach a successful and timely dissolution to your marriage.

Do’s When it Comes to Your Divorce

  • Hire an attorney that you’re comfortable with, an experienced Houston divorce lawyer and preferably board-certified. Interview several lawyers and find the best fit for you.
  • Actively participate in gathering evidence, documentation, financial records and anything else that will help your attorney.  This is very good advice since it will have the effect of reducing time and expense in your divorce. 
  • Be completely honest with your lawyer. We all have “blemishes”.  Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to share these intimate details with your lawyer. If your lawyer has been practicing for any length of time, they’ve heard most anything. If you leave out important facts, you risk that any advice you receive may be flawed as it’s not predicated on the correct facts.  Further, if your lawyer knows the truth in advance, he can plan ahead, and may be able to keep such issues out of evidence, or minimize its adverse effect.
  • Read and timely respond to emails and phone calls from your attorney. Delays can be costly.
    • If you need emotional support, let your attorney know so they can assist you in getting professional counseling.  And if you have an addiction to alcohol or drugs, get professional help and let your attorney know. What you perceive as a negative, if addressed in a proactive manner, can be turned into a positive.  Most family law attorneys follow the creed that they want their client to be in a better place after the divorce than when they arrived.

Don’ts When it Comes to Your Divorce

  • Don’t try to and be your own lawyer and represent yourself.  Don’t even take a first step in this regard.  Go ahead and research divorce issues on the internet and get informed, but then seek a divorce lawyer who is knowledgeable about the law, about your judge and about drafting enforceable orders.
  • Don’t talk to your friends about your divorce proceedings and share any detailed information regarding the matter.  Definitely don’t post anything about your divorce on social media. Social media sites are a gold mine for divorce lawyers. Hostile postings about your soon to be ex, or postings reflecting your “social activities” can and will be used by the other side.
  • Don’t follow advice from friends, or even worse, strangers. What may have happened or worked in one case, may not happen or work in yours.  Each case has facts unique to it and may be affected by what judge you have or the attorney on the other side. You might want to discuss with your attorney any “advice” given to you by a friend, but then listen to your attorney and not to that non-lawyer friend.  After all, you didn’t hire your friend, and that person is not intimately involved in the legal aspects of your case.
  • Don’t follow advice from a lawyer friend who doesn’t handle family law matters. Unless you would hire a dentist to perform open heart surgery, don’t follow advice from a non-family law attorney.  While that person may be a brilliant attorney in another area of law, they’re not an expert in the family law arena.
  • Don’t email your attorney or their paralegal incessantly.  Filling the inbox of your attorney requires them to spend more time on your case and that means your divorce will cost more.  Try to combine questions or concerns in one email to make communication more effective.
  • Don’t “cry wolf” unless there’s a reason to do so.  If you routinely call your attorney claiming an emergency when one doesn’t exist, you might find your lawyer less responsive at a time that is a true emergency.
  • Don’t make decisions regarding your divorce in haste.  If you’re frustrated with your spouse, don’t report them to the police or Child Protective Services.  Discuss the issue with your lawyer BEFORE you take any action.  Decisions and actions taken hastily can have a detrimental impact on your case, and sometimes that harm cannot be mitigated.

If your spouse has filed for divorce in Texas or if you’re thinking about getting a divorce call the offices of Michael Von Blon in Houston.  Attorney Von Blon has decades of experience and is board-certified in Texas as a family law specialist.