In the divorce process, there are many things that can delay your case that you and your divorce attorney have no control over, such as the knowledge, experience, and preparedness of your spouse’s attorney; the judge’s schedule; your spouse’s motivation to resolve the divorce, as well as how reasonable your spouse is when negotiating a resolution of any contentious issues.
Accordingly, we advise our clients to focus on the things they can control to keep their legal costs down and streamline the process to hopefully reach the most efficient and effective resolution. The following are three things you have control over that can impact how long your divorce takes:
1. Search for and hire a divorce attorney with sufficient knowledge and experience that shortly after you provide the relevant information and documents, he or she will be capable of applying the applicable law to your specific circumstances. Your lawyer should provide you with a clear picture with a reasonable degree of certainty as to where your case should land and what would be a fair resolution. Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to vet, read reviews, comb through their website, and schedule a consultation.
2. Follow your divorce lawyer’s advice to the letter! If he or she asks you for information, PROVIDE IT! If your attorney requires documents, gather them promptly and be organized about it! Be forthcoming with your lawyer; if you are ever in doubt, remember we would always prefer to have too much information about your case rather than too little. If you ever have a question about what you should or should not be doing during the divorce process, ASK your lawyer first before you act. Missteps can significantly prolong the resolution of your case.
3. Be reasonable when it comes to resolving issues in your divorce matter. It is your attorney’s job to provide you with direction relevant to your matter based on the prevailing law in your particular locale. From there, your lawyer should be able to determine what would be a fair resolution. Insist upon what is fair and reasonable as a resolution of all issues in your divorce case – nothing more and nothing less.
To start your divorce case, contact The Law Office of Dennis R. Vetrano, Jr., LLC today!