Legal Separation from a spouse is a complicated, challenging, and painful process. And the stakes get higher and higher as the divorce progresses. With a separation, your personal and professional lives will be legally separated.
This means you are going to have very different things to juggle and that you will need to set up different financial arrangements
Here are five steps to getting and staying prepared for a divorce. You can also get help from top family law firms in Sydney.
Table of Contents
Find an Experienced Lawyer
A professional and experienced lawyer plays a vital role to make this process hassle-free. The lawyer should make you feel comfortable so that you can easily discuss almost everything. The attorney must be qualified enough to represent you in the case.
You can also contact top family law firms Sydney to get the best advice. An attorney has to meet endless rigorous expectations. You should look for an experienced lawyer if the case is more complex.
Separation or Divorce?
Before starting the process, it’s better to be certain about the decisions for Legal Separation. If there’s any confusion over whether you should leave the marriage or not, you can visit a family therapist.
Once the decision is made, you can’t take a step back. You should be committed to your decision to avoid any mishap in the future.
Move Out
Before moving out, remove the name from rentals. If the rent is not paid, you’ll not be held guilty. Also, you need to change the address from all the legal documents.
Separating Finances
It’s better to keep a copy of all the contact numbers, addresses, and other details like credit cards, etc. Remember to remove the name from anything for that you’re not responsible.
On other hand, only your lawyer can figure out all the finance-related issues. The finance includes child support or other payments to your spouse. The lawyer will undergo the review process and then will make things clear to you.
Gather all the necessary documents before the separation. Make copies of all the income tax returns, bank accounts, etc before meeting the attorney. You might also have to take care of the online accounts.
Another crucial thing is to freeze all the joint bank accounts.
Assets and Debts
Create a simple yet effective balance sheet, showcasing all the assets and debts. You can have the following things:
- Real Estate Property
- Vehicle
- Saving Plans or retirement accounts
- Mutual funds, stocks, or brokerage accounts
- Mortgages
- Notes
You can back up the list with the following things to create the financial documentation.
