90-Day Countdown to Divorce

Once you decide that divorce is in your plans, it will take about three months to fully prepare everything you need. This guide is all about mapping the next 90 days so that you stay organized, stress-free, and well-prepared.

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Countdown to Divorce: Plan Your Exit Strategy

If you’re unhappy in your marriage and have decided it is time to make a change, here are the steps you should take before you file:

• Hire a divorce and family law attorney. 
  Find two or three who concentrate in family law, research their backgrounds, interview and ask questions about the firm and fees.
• Go to your local post office and rent a P.O. box. 
  You will need your own mailing address for important paperwork; a place that you know will be secure and kept private.
• Start a divorce file. 
  Treat the divorce process as if it were your own business. Store the important documents you will need.
• Immediately end all use of social media. 
  Information that you post on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and blogs, as well as emails or texts sent to family or friends, are increasingly being used by attorneys as key evidence in contested divorce cases.
• Gather financial documents and take pictures of personal belongings. 
  Use your best efforts to store these in a place that your spouse does not have access to. Once you make your plans to divorce known to your spouse, don’t be surprised if things begin to disappear.
• Determine what you own and owe. 
  Not-so-obvious marital assets to be divided includes artwork, inheritances or belongings a spouse brought into the marriage. As for debt, when couples divorce, it does not matter whose name the debt is in. It is usually split based on who is more able to pay.
• Change all of your passwords. 
  Create new passwords that your spouse will not be able to guess or figure out. If you are one of those people who uses one or two passwords for everything, change your way of thinking and create different passwords that include random letters and numbers.
• Stop contributing to your retirement accounts at work. 
  Since your spouse will be entitled to some portion of your retirement account, IRAs and pension plans, get the form from your employer to stop making regular payroll contributions. This will prevent your spouse from accessing any growing asset.
• Keep any intentions of divorce to yourself. 
  When you confide in friends or family, it is bound to get back to your spouse. Some of those you tell may feel as if they have some responsibility to try and save your marriage. Don’t discuss your plans with anyone but your attorney.

New England’s Premier Divorce & Family Law Firm

Miller Law Group, P.C. is a Massachusetts law firm. Rather than practicing in a wide variety of legal areas, we are focused exclusively on family law. This focus allows our family law attorneys to dedicate all of their time, energy and efforts to each of our family law clients.

Call us or contact us online. Scheduling an initial consultation is the first step to getting the assistance you need.