The 4 biggest mistakes you can make during divorce proceedings

November 3, 2015

Divorce is never an easy process. Regardless of its dynamic, severing a marriage involves high emotions and countless stressful days. Even so, you can make the situation less stressful by avoiding these mistakes.

The 4 biggest mistakes you can make during divorce proceedings

1. Trying to hide assets

  • Divorce laws can vary depending upon where a person lives, but one thing that remains true is that hiding assets is a bad idea.
  • It's often tempting to hide assets to prevent them from being split during a divorce, and this is especially the case when a person feels that they earned these things with no help from their spouse.
  • Attempting to hide these assets, though, could result in criminal sanctions. When a person is asked about their assets, for instance, they'll have to lie if they want to hide them, and lying during the divorce proceedings amounts to perjury.
  • Even in cases when a person doesn't lie, that person could be held in contempt of court for failing to comply.

2. Failing to consider pension plans

  • Many individuals who think they've done their research and have some understanding of property distribution begin planning their post-marriage lives before a divorce is even finalized.
  • After all, it's easy to assume which financial assets a person will have if a divorce goes smoothly.
  • Unfortunately, some people fail to consider their pension plans when going through this thought process.
  • Contributions to a pension plan made during a marriage are eligible to being divided between two soon-to-be-former spouses.
  • This is true even if one spouse never contributed to a pension plan. Canadian law says that a married couple only has to be cohabitants for a year for this law to apply.

3. Flaunting new relationships

  • Going through a divorce is stressful, and many people fall in love with other individuals who help them keep their head up during this process.
  • In some instances, having another love interest could actually be facilitating the divorce. It's important to avoid flaunting these new romantic connections.
  • First off, bringing another individual into the mix will often just make the entire environment more volatile.
  • Intense feelings of jealousy and rage are never necessary in a divorce.
  • Additionally, it's possible for a person to get a better result on their own end if they can prove that their spouse is romantically involved with someone else.

4. Not hiring an attorney

  • Some divorces go by smoothly without the help of any attorneys. When one spouse hires a lawyer, it's imperative for the other to do the same.
  • If they don't, they're basically in a David vs. Goliath situation; the ending won't be nearly as happy for David.

The average person facing down a legal professional will never come out on top in a court of law. However, individuals cannot hire the same attorney as their spouse. This creates a conflict of interest, and one individual will never be truly represented as well as the other.

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