Divorce is a decision taken by two spouses. However, sometimes one of the spouse initiates divorce proceedings while the other one simply either agrees to agree to their demand or fight the case. If you are someone who has not initiated the divorce, the first news of divorce is when you will get the divorce papers. This can be an emotional time, but any misstep can cause you undue losses in the future. Hence, here is a list of 5 things you need to do when you get your divorce papers.
Read Them Thoroughly
The first thing to do when you get your hands on your divorce papers is give them a read. Typically, the first read will not be as through as it should be, so it’s best that you give it a read at least twice. This is primarily because these papers have a sea of information that the spouse needs to know. In addition to that the divorce papers will also highlight other aspects such as:
- Which court is the case filed in?
- The deadline date of the response
- Whether she has attained the services of an Attorney or not
- The grounds of the divorce will be laid down
- The relief that the party seeks.
Hire an Attorney
This is an important step. Unless you think that you are good enough representing yourself on your own, it is recommended that you hire an Orange County divorce lawyer instead of trying to have a go on your own. Hiring an attorney will help you throughout the divorce, whether it is as a result of experience they have in fighting the case or their knowhow of the procedures that are to be followed. However, hiring an attorney for the sake of hiring one is equally bad. Make sure the attorney you hire is experienced and well versed in their job.
Give the Divorce Paper a Response
There are two way to go about this. Either you respond to the notice, disputing the facts, the claims made and rejecting the relief sought, instead seeking relief yourself or you don’t reply to the notice. Not replying to a notice is seen as accepting the terms of the divorce proposed by the other spouse and giving them all that they want. Which response to give, will depend on what you and your Orange County divorce attorney decide.
Gather Documents
If you have decided to dispute the claims made by the other spouse, you need to prepare for the divorce case. For that, the best way is to find evidences, documents and invoices if any that support your claim. If you have the documents on your side you may have a chance of winning.
Asset Protection
This is again an important step to do. Sometimes the other spouse can make off with all the joint ownership assets. To avoid that, make sure you keep their files safe and secure and keep all its legal formalities up to date. The better your asset protection the more the chance of you keeping your assets.
Gerald A. Maggio is an experienced Orange County divorce and family law attorney and family law attorney located in Irvine, California, serving the Orange County and Riverside areas. Mr. Maggio assists clients with legal issues including divorce, legal separation, divorce mediation, child custody, prenuptial agreements, stepparent adoptions, and other family law issues. Mr. Maggio has practiced law in California since 1999, and founded The Maggio Law Firm in 2005, focusing exclusively on divorce and family law matters.
