Divorce

Divorce is the process by which a couple legally end their marriage and divides their proerty. This does not mean, though, that the couple’s financial relationship is ended. There may be continuing financial obligations and , if there are children, there will almost certaily be continuing rights and responsibilites that th eparents must share.

Ending a marriage can be expensive. Lega, fees, alminony, child support payments and the cost of maintaining two households are likely to pose a financial challenge. Divorce can also be very hard on all of those involved, the spouses, children, friends and the extended family. This is why it is important that couples not rush into divorce, which will have a long term effect on their lives and the lives of their children.

Because of the difficulties that arise when marriages end, lawyers and judges often recommend that couples considering divorce first go through the process of mediation. The presence of a neutral third party to assist couples in identifying, confronting, and solving the problems that divorce presents can make the process easier and may produce a more harmonious resolution.

Second or third marriages present additional difficulties. Each partner may bring in problems left over from a previous marriage. There may be alimony, child support problems, or debts to resolve. Children and parents fro previous marriage often form a ” blended family”. Children gain stepparents, spouses aquire stepchildren, and all must learn to live in the household. For all these reason, a couple should be aware that divorce is a seriopus step that will affect them and their children for the rest of their lives. A couple should not try to seek a divorce in the heat of anger or without at least trying to work out their problems. That is why states recommend and some require a period pf seperation before they will grant a divorce.

When a couple has decided to seek a divorce, they can proceed in several ways. Until recently, most divorcing couples hired lawyers to prepare their cases. However, it is not always necessary to have attorneys involved in every aspect of a divorce. Pro se, or do it yourself, divorce kits and classees are available in many places. To learn more about this check with your local court, library, bookstore, or legal aid office. If the divorce involves disagreements over children, large sums of money, property, or anything else substantial, then each spouse should have an attorney or consult a family mediation service.

A family mediator works with a couple, guiding them through a series of negotiations designed to achieve an agreement with which both can live. The agreement is usually then reviewed by the couple’s lawyers before filed in court. Mediators can help divorceing couples reach a settlement without the time, expense, or hard feelings of the traditional adversary process. Working with a mediator is also beneficial because the couple involved know the most about thier own situation, and can therefore better advise a solution that will work.

At one time, most states allowed divorce only if one spouse could show that the other spouse had done something wrong or was at fault such as adultery, disertion, mental cruelty,physical cruelty and insanity.Proving that one spouse was at fault was often hard, and divorce used to cause great embarassment.