If feasible, prepare for the divorce procedure before considering filing. Learning about your rights and the divorce procedure is the first step in getting ready for a divorce, whether your spouse has brought the subject up or you are just thinking about it. A Birmingham divorce attorney can help you learn the essential things.
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Learn About Your Legal Choices: Uncontested vs. Contested Divorce Methods.
You can feel more prepared to handle the many life-altering decisions that will arise throughout your divorce if you take the time to think them through in advance.
Do some reading up on:
- Types of divorces: uncontested and disputed. To file for an uncontested divorce, you and the other party must reach a unanimous decision on all of the divorce’s conditions. However, the process usually ends more quickly than a disputed one. You need to consider the timing of each divorce and the level of amicability in your relationship with your husband to choose which is best for you.
- The basis for an Alabama divorce petition. Divorce in Alabama can be filed on either blame or no-fault grounds. By choosing the “no-fault” option, you and your spouse are essentially acknowledging that you are not to blame for the dissolution of your marriage. But claims based on fault (such as adultery or chronic alcoholism) involve assigning blame to one or both parties and typically require more time to resolve.
- Additional issues about your divorce that could be pertinent to your legal process. Your parenting plan, child support, alimony, division of assets and debts, child custody or visitation, and any other matters about the divorce must be outlined in the divorce settlement agreement, which you and your spouse will reach through discussion or a court hearing.
- Relevant laws. You must familiarize yourself with your divorce’s regulations as much as possible. For example, your marital assets will not be divided evenly (50/50) in Alabama but will be distributed fairly.
Gather Your Members.
Going through a divorce by yourself is not a good idea. You need to surround yourself with supportive people to make it through this change. If you need help, think about reaching out to (or finding):
- Having strong feelings. You should find a healthy way to process your emotions, whether through talking to loved ones, enrolling in therapy, or venting online.
- On a physical level. It helps to have a support system that will encourage you to attend to your physical demands. Physical health can be impacted by the mental and emotional toll of going through a divorce.
- In a lawful sense. Having a trustworthy attorney on your side will be an invaluable asset during a divorce. An attorney can help you through the divorce process, whether uncontested or contentious, by guiding you through the paperwork, protecting your interests, and navigating the court system and state regulations.