The divorce process is often fraught with emotional and legal challenges. The outcomes of your child custody and property division disputes can affect what your life looks like for years to come, and it may negatively impact your relationship with your child and your financial stability. In other words, there’s a lot on the line.
Some people try to rush through the process, though, which usually isn’t a good idea. By moving too quickly through the divorce process, you may be putting yourself at risk of making poor choices or being taken advantage of by your spouse, which can lead to long-term negative implications. Although it may be tempting to get through your divorce as quickly as possible so that you can move forward you may need to slow down and figure out the best path forward if you want to fully protect your interests.
Tips for more effectively negotiating your divorce
Regardless of how contentious your relationship with your spouse is, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to negotiate divorce settlement. But you still need to take the time necessary to build the effective negotiation strategy that you need on your side.
What does that strategy look like? Here are some tips that may help you move forward with confidence in your case:
- Know the value of the marital estate: Under Pennsylvania law, you’re entitled to your fair share of marital assets. But you might get cut out of recovering the assets that you need if you fail to identify all marital assets and include them in the divorce process. A divorce attorney can help you through this process and possibly alert you to assets that you didn’t think would be marital and subject to division.
- Know your limits: Before heading into settlement talks, you should have a post-divorce budget and a strong understanding of what you need to be stable post-divorce. As you negotiate, this will help you analyze what settlement or division will help you meet your needs.
- Anticipate your spouse’s requests: If you can identify the requests that your spouse will make during negotiations, then you’ll be better positioned to develop a strong settlement strategy. You may be able to utilize other assets as leverage, or you may even be able to find middle ground that allows you and your spouse to achieve a favorable outcome.
- Be prepared to set the right tone: Your approach to your divorce negotiations will have a tremendous impact on how key legal issues play out. Therefore, if you’re too aggressive or come across as overly confrontational, then your spouse may push back in areas where they otherwise wouldn’t. This means that your approach could leave you settling for far less than you deserve simply because of your communication style. You don’t want to be bullied and pushed around during your settlement talks, though, so make sure that you’re firm and assertive while remaining respectful and professional.
Develop the legal strategy that’s right for you
You certainly have a lot on your plate as you try to figure out how to close this chapter of your life. But you don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. You should consider discussing your circumstances with an attorney who is well-versed in family law matters and, specifically, in negotiating divorce settlements.