by Suzanne Rose

Created on: December 29, 2009

It is important to protect yourself in a divorce.  You want to be very careful about what you say and do so as not to compromise your case.  Unfortunately, many divorce proceedings get quite nasty, and some who are bitter will just go for whatever they can get out of the person.  They may also tell untruths or try to hide certain things that would cause things to be less favorable for you.  The following are some tips to help you protect yourself in a divorce.

Hire a great lawyer

The most important thing you can do in a divorce is to hire a good lawyer.  Your lawyer is your advocate – he or she will help you navigate through the complicated legal system.  A good divorce lawyer can oftentimes have a major impact on how divorce proceedings turn out.  They can help protect you from any tricks your soon-to-be-ex concocts.  It is their job to protect you, and to help avoid your ex from taking advantage.  If money is an issue, they can help make sure you get a fair share, and can make a big difference when it comes to custody.  They can do motions to help ascertain if your opponent is hiding something.  They can also give you advice to help keep you out of situations that would look bad for you.

Keep good records

As much as you can, keep good records of everything.  Understand the bank accounts and money situations so that if your ex tries to do something less than fair, you will notice it.  It will be much harder for him to try to move and hide money if you are aware of the funds that should be in the accounts.  Also, keep track of other things he might do, which might be to gain an unfair advantage over you. 

Don’t agree to anything without the advice of your attorney.

Sometimes exes will try to get you to agree to something that is not in your favor.  Especially is he or she is the one who is divorcing you, you might allow yourself to get swept up by him once more and agree to something.  Certainly NEVER sign anything without your lawyer’s okay.  If you do sign something, it may end up being a binding document.  Also, be careful about what you communicate to your ex.  Things that you say or write in e-mail or other correspondence could end up emerging in court and working against you for whatever reason.  Assume that everything you say may be taken and twisted to serve your ex’s nefarious purposes.  The less you say without your lawyer present, the better. 

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