Knowing what you should do after your spouse asks for divorce can help you work through your feelings.
When your spouse asks for a divorce, that statement will set in motion various emotional, practical, and financial challenges for both of you. You need to respond thoughtfully to protect yourself and your children. Knowing what you should do after your spouse asks for divorce can help you work through your feelings and select the proper Maryland divorce process for you and your family.
Process Your Feelings
If the conversation leaves you in a state of intense emotion or shock, take some time to work through your feelings. Depending on when and how you find out that your spouse would like to end your marriage, you may need to leave work or cancel plans so you can have time alone to process the implications of an impending divorce.
As you work to process the divorce, expect to feel grief, anger, guilt, and even fear about the future. These responses are normal and will continue to arise throughout the divorce process. When that happens, take a moment, breathe, and give yourself space before returning to your deliberations.
Understand Your Spouse’s Reasoning
Listen to your spouse and understand why they want a divorce. This conversation could include possible reconciliation options and allow you to gauge their interest in non-adversarial divorce options like mediation or collaboration. Sometimes, a family therapist or couples counselor may help heal the marriage or reduce conflict within the divorce.
However, if your spouse is motivated by anger or believes that you have wronged them, it is wiser to prepare for litigation from the start. Although it may hurt, the information will allow you and your divorce attorney to plan a trial strategy and address perceived concerns as the divorce progresses.
Hire a Divorce Attorney
Don’t wait for your spouse to file divorce paperwork to hire a divorce attorney. Speaking to an attorney who offers early divorce litigation and collaborative law services can help you choose the best process for your family. An attorney can explain the pros and cons of various divorce options and help you consider if litigation or out-of-court collaborative options are right for you.
Get Your Finances in Order
A divorce is likely to involve a financial separation. When you physically separate from your spouse, it can also separate you from important financial information. After discussing the divorce, make sure you have copies of statements for your bank, credit, and retirement accounts, as well as any tax returns filed during the marriage. Otherwise, it may be expensive to get them later. Once you both have agreed on the division of financial assets, consider closing joint accounts and transferring funds into your name only.
The Right Lawyer Can Make All the Difference
Hiring a lawyer should be the first thing you do when encountering any legal matter, not a last resort. Whether you’re thinking about a separation or divorce or have been charged with a crime, been injured in an accident, or your civil rights have been violated, you need to first know your rights. Contact Mike Mastracci today at 614 Edmondson Ave Catonsville, MD 21228 (with satellite offices in Ocean City, Snow Hill, and Salisbury, Maryland), 410-869-3400, and check us out on Facebook.