THE NEAL LAW FIRM Oneonta, AL. 205-625-6900

Ten Tips for Going Thru a Divorce

The following are some tips and best practices for working with your divorce or family law attorney. The following is NOT, nor is it meant to be legal advice. These are general guidelines that will give you a higher liklihood of reaching the best possible outcome with your family law case. If you have questions about your particular situation, it is always best to communicate directly with your family law attorney.

Always abide by all Court orders.

Make all payments of debts timely as ordered by the family law court.

If you are ordered to make spousal maintenance or child support payments, pay promptly as ordered. If you genuinely are unable to do so, advise your spouse and call your family law attorney immediately. Do not take it upon yourself to change the Family Court order.

If a change of circumstances occurs such as layoff, loss of job or a substantial reduction in pay, an accident, medical emergency, etc., advise your spouse and also contact your family law attorney as they must be informed of the problems in order to properly advise you.

Do not quarrel or argue with your spouse although constructive discussion of problems is healthy.

If you believe there is a chance for reconciliation or if there is an agreement between the two of you to attempt reconciliation, contact your attorney immediately so that he or she may secure a Court order suspending the divorce for a period of time up to 90 days. If the 90 days suspension is used, the divorce will either be dismissed or continued without prejudice to either party. Please note that a divorce may be dismissed at any time.

For a number of reasons, take care with whom you discuss marital problems other than your divorce attorney no matter how inquisitive they may be. Generally they will be without sufficient legal knowledge to properly advise you. Secondly, what you say may be misconstrued, get back to your spouse, and create more difficulties.

Be sure to advise your family law attorney and the Court of any address changes. Your attorney also needs to be aware of phone number changes or employment changes. When communicating with the Courthouse, use your case number.

If you have questions about your divorce, custody or modification process, write them down and call your family law attorney. Do not rely on advice from family or friends as only your attorney can give you sound legal advice.

Stay in close communication with your family lawyer as issues arise and things change. It is important that your lawyer be advised of things that may seem very personal, such as a pregnancy, new relationship or financial changes. While not always, these issues sometimes impact the process of the family law court, as well as the settlement of the marital issues.

These tips were compiled by the Neal Law Firm who handles Divorce and Famly law. We are serving the Blount County and North Alabama. If you have questions about your divorce or family law case, you should contact your attorney. If you are facing a divorce or family law issue and do not currently have legal representation, call Attorney Brandon Neal for a free initial consultation regarding your family law case in our offices in Oneonta, AL.