Tips to Negotiate a Good Divorce Settlement

Most divorcing people hope to negotiate a good divorce settlement. Usually, lawyers will tell you not to try and negotiate settlements on your own; an attorney can help you get all you need, and most, if not all of what you want. While it is always best to hire an attorney for any divorce, it’s not always necessary for the negotiation part if you and your spouse can get along well enough to agree upon things alone.

Learn your rights and responsibilities.

Before you proceed in your divorce at all, you should learn your legal rights, dos, and don’ts. The best way to do that is two-fold: personal research and consulting an attorney. You can find out a lot about your rights online these days. You want to make sure and find out about these things as they apply to the U.S., your state, and your county.

Then, consult your attorney. While you can get accurate information on your own, you need to make sure the information is correct. The best way to do that is to make sure that you’re really hearing it from a licensed attorney.

Consider negotiating with your spouse.

If you think that you and your spouse can get along well enough to negotiate a good divorce settlement together, this might be the best route. It could save you a lot of time and money by avoiding official meetings, time with lawyers, and time in court. While you don’t want to eliminate the middleman-the lawyer-altogether, you do want to minimize the time and money spent on them.

If the two of you began the divorce together by agreeing to it from the very beginning, then you are more likely to be flexible when you negotiate for a settlement. The easier you can make it on yourselves and each other, the better. Too often divorce courts are booked with couples arguing over their divorce settlements, during and after divorce.

Have an attorney look over any agreements before they’re official.
None of this means you should not have an attorney, or even that you shouldn’t consult an attorney about your settlement. There are, of course, risks to negotiating your own settlements. You can accidentally give away too much when you don’t know what you’re doing, or not get enough. However, negotiation doesn’t have to be incredibly difficult. You may find yourself trying to negotiate with your spouse, anyway, if the divorce feels like it’s dragging on too long for your comfort.

Still, discussing your negotiations with an attorney is absolutely the best move. This isn’t because you’re not capable of handling the negotiations. Rather, it’s a precaution to make sure that you both addressed everything that needed to be considered in the negotiations. It’s also a precaution to make sure that both of you are getting everything you need to start again after the divorce is over. Because the legal system is complex, it is never a good idea to pursue any part of your divorce without some professional help.

To negotiate a good divorce settlement, you need enough time, patience, and knowledge. Working positively with your spouse and seeking counsel can help you do this. When you need that expert knowledge on your divorce in Florida, call Miller Law.