The process of getting divorced can be an unpleasant time for anyone, but some divorces are significantly more unpleasant than others. Unfortunately, some people do things that may seem reasonable at the time, but which come back to bite them later on, ensuring a worse outcome to their divorce. Here are five things you should avoid doing when you are getting divorced:
- Posting on social media
- A relatively new but surprisingly common issue in divorce cases is the prevalence of social media. While people commonly post details of their lives on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, these can become problematic if your spouse follows your social media. Anything you say online can be used against you in court, as can any pictures, videos, or other types of media you post on your social media accounts.
- Using your children as pawns or bargaining chips
- Another surprisingly common issue can arise when people have children involved in their divorce. Rather than trying to keep their children out of the nastiness of the divorce, some people will try to use their children to their advantage, badmouthing their spouse in front of them or using the threat of taking away custody or visitation rights as a way of getting a better divorce settlement. Unfortunately, this almost always backfires, with many people getting the exact opposite of what they wanted by manipulating their children.
- Refusing to cooperate with your spouse
- In addition to legal proceedings, getting divorced can involve a lot of scheduling around appointments, meetings, visitations, and other similar issues. Along with all of that comes the need to potentially reschedule when emergencies come up. It can seem satisfying to refuse to cooperate with your spouse on these sorts of changes, but the court tends to look poorly on people who are not willing to work together, especially if children are involved.
- Entering into a new relationship
- With your marriage falling apart, it can be tempting to start looking for a new relationship as soon as you start getting divorced. You may simply want the affection and support of a new partner during a difficult time, or you may want to spite your spouse. Either way, entering into a new relationship too quickly can cause problems in your divorce, and it can be held against you.
- Failing to speak to a lawyer
- Some people are convinced they can handle a divorce by themselves or get convinced by their spouse that they do not need one. Unfortunately, divorces are complex, and if you are getting divorced, you will deal with issues that may be too complicated to handle alone. That is why you should contact a lawyer with experience handling family law issues, who can help you with your case.
If you have questions regarding child custody or other aspects of family law, you should seek advice from an attorney experienced in handling these matters. A New York matrimonial lawyer, who is experienced in handling family law cases of all sorts, can advise you of your legal rights and will fight for your best interests in court. If you are facing a dispute related to the equitable distribution of property, child custody, child support, or any other family law issue, contact the Suffolk County family court lawyers at McGuire, Peláez and Bennett at (631) 348-1702 or visit our contact page.
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