Nobody wants to be embroiled in a seemingly never-ending divorce case. The tension and pressure of it all can be crushing, and the next chapter of your life can be put on hold while you try to navigate the intricate and oftentimes hotly contested issues before you. As a result, you might do everything you can to try to finalize your divorce as quickly as possible. But moving too swiftly can be risky, since cutting corners can lead to missed opportunities and acquiescence on issues that are important to you.
Therefore, if you want to save time in your divorce and wrap up the process as expeditiously as possible, then you have to move with care. Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take to proceed more quickly through your marriage dissolution while still protecting your interests. Let’s look at some of them here.
Tips for saving time in your divorce
A successful divorce requires adequate preparation. That said, here are some steps that you can take now to save time on your divorce while still positioning yourself for the outcome that you want:
- Know the extent of your marital estate: Before heading into divorce, you should have a firm understanding of the nature and extent of the marital estate. So, conduct an inventory of all assets, look for any assets that your spouse may have hidden and seek valuations when it may be difficult to gauge an asset’s worth.
- Identify your goals as well as those of your spouse: If you know what you want and need out of divorce, then you’ll have a framework within which to work during negotiations. And if you can anticipate what your spouse wants out of the process, then you can find points of leverage that will get you to an agreement quicker.
- Be transparent and honest: A lot of divorces are delayed and become contentious because spouses lie to each other, misconstrue the facts or withhold relevant information. If you want to get through your marriage dissolution more quickly, then you need to be open, honest and transparent about the issues at hand and what you hope to get out of the process.
- Pick your battles: In a contentious divorce or a marriage dissolution shaded in emotional injuries, it’s easy to fight over every little issue. But this can really bog the process down and thwart your efforts to secure the outcome that you want. So, strategically pick your battles. By letting your spouse win on some issues that aren’t important to you, you might generate goodwill that gives you an advantage on other issues that are crucial to you.
- Be organized: If you don’t have your ducks in a row going into settlement discussions or into court for litigation, then you’re going to be lost and struggle to articulate what you want and why you’re entitled to it. So, make sure you gather relevant documents and develop a strong legal strategy that’s targeted to meet your goals.
Find a way to get through your divorce quickly while still protecting your interests
There are a lot of different ways to approach your divorce. You have to find the one that works best for you under the circumstances. That can be difficult to do, especially if you’ve never been through the process before, but the good news is that you can find help crafting the strategy and legal arguments needed to be successful. So, if you’re ready to meaningfully build your case, then now is the time to get to work gaining a command of the facts and learning as much as you can about divorce strategy.