A quick and easy divorce may sound like an unrealistic prospect, but you may be surprised by how much you can speed up the process by just making a few simple changes. Many of the things that slow down your divorce are the result of planning and communication.
- Plan Ahead
- Know Your Wants
- Manage Your Finances
- Understand the Legal Limitations
- Work on Collaboration
- Secure Legal Assistance Where Needed
- Always Review Your Options
- Be Flexible and Communicative
- Let Your Lawyer Represent You
- Start Saving
- Be on Time
- Ask for Help
- Manage Your Expectations
Once you’ve made up your mind that a divorce is the way forward, you will need to plan and organize to keep your divorce on track. Divorces are known for being time-consuming and expensive, but they don’t have to be that way. There are many things you can do to help move the process along, but even when those don’t work, you have to remember at the end to manage your expectations.
At the height of the pandemic, filing for divorce in Florida meant waiting what felt like forever to get started. You can file for divorce online now, and there are many things you can do to move your case long while you wait for the courts. You can begin the process by collecting the documentation you will need for your divorce financials. The key to keeping your divorce on track is to focus on the tasks that you can manage while waiting for your day in court.
You will have many documents from your personal record to file with the court system, like:
- Three Years of you and your spouse’s tax returns
- Pay stubs for you and your spouse
- Mortgage statements
- Investment statements
- Retirement Accounts
- Bank Statements
- Real Estate Appraisals
- Credit Reports for you and your spouse
- Insurance documents for all policies of all types
- Credit card statements
Verify Balances for Joint Accounts
If you are married, it’s common to have joint accounts. To speed up your divorce date, you can start preparing your financial picture. Debt and asset division will be one of the longest parts of your divorce. Getting started now is a great way to get started. Florida divorce law treats marital property and asset and debt division using a system of equitable division. This means the outcome will not always balance in dollars and cents, but it will balance in fairness. So, you can start this process by collecting documentation and verifying what you have and what you owe in all joint accounts. Another thing you can work on that may be difficult is getting your spouse on the same page as you about working to shorten the divorce process. Both sides need to be committed to collaboration, less spending, and better saving habits.
Create a plan for once your divorce case is finalized.
Once your divorce is final, what’s next? If you don’t know the answer, that’s something else that can be planned. If you and your spouse share minor children, this is a good time to make sure they have been planned for in you and your spouse’s new life. Parenting responsibilities aren’t the only thing that has to be determined in your parenting plan. Depending on your custody agreement, you and your spouse will be co-parenting and managing a calendar for your children that includes school obligations, visitation, and any other important dates. It’s easy for things to become double-booked, so planning ahead is planning to win.
Florida Based Divorce Attorneys
If you are attempting to negotiate with your spouse to finalize the terms of your divorce, but you’re not having any luck, the attorneys at Tinny, Meyer & Piccarreto, P.A., can help you formulate a strategy. Call us at (727) 245-9009 to schedule a consultation.