2016’s Worst Divorce Tips

lorisa stein 2016 worst divorce tipsRecent advances in technology have afforded more people the ability to have instant access to information. One result is the wide dissemination of misinformation and inaccurate advice which when mistaken for and relied upon as valid legal advice can lead to poor decision making on important family law matters.

In life-altering transitions, such as divorce, many find themselves relying on resources that provide them with quick answers that end up steering them in the wrong direction. It is imperative to distinguish some of the most misleading tips that spouses and families should be aware of. Without further ado, here are the worst divorce tips from the past year.

  1. Draft your own separation agreement using online foreign software picking all the clauses that are easy to understand.
  2. Borrow your best friend’s marriage contract as a template for your own separation agreement.
  3. Freeze the amount of child support you are willing to pay no matter if the child requires medical attention, is a music prodigy, or resides equally between parents’ residences.
  4. Commence the divorce process and arrange for your spouse’s best friend to serve the documents at work on the morning of an important presentation.
  5. Provide to your lawyer volumes of emails and texts you shared with your spouse despite many not relating to the legal issues under consideration.
  6. Send a barrage of questions to your lawyer throughout the day, thanking them for responding in a thoughtful and careful way, and do something completely contrary to the advice provided.
  7. Explain to your children on their trip to school the intimate details of why your marriage is floundering.
  8. Invite the members of your golf foursome to offer advice on how to tell your spouse you want to leave the marriage.
  9. Retain your real estate, corporate, or municipal lawyer to handle your divorce.
  10. Consult a difficult litigation family lawyer even though you and your spouse have worked out a reasonable plan and could have matters drafted up in a couple of weeks.
  11. Decide that you have read everything online and figured out the family law game so there’s no point in having a lawyer confuse the issues.
  12. Insist that you and your spouse have exactly the same deal in mind so only one lawyer is needed to draft the agreement.
  13. Recycle the same arguments over and over again about spending money to bring a fresh perspective to spousal support considerations.
  14. Make choices and decisions for yourself and your children while in an emotional fog.

Lorisa Stein is an experienced senior family law lawyer based in downtown Toronto, Ontario. She has utilized the collaborative method to help spouses and families resolve their conflicts. To schedule a confidential consultation with Lorisa, please fill out a meeting request through the contact page, call her on the direct line at (416) 596-8081, or email her at lorisa@lorisastein.com.