One issue that family lawyers often encounter is a client asking them for help with a divorce, but that client has done absolutely nothing to prepare for their divorce. When we say “prepare” we do not mean that the client has been planning for divorce behind their spouse’s back. Instead, we mean that the client has taken no steps to help themselves through the divorce process.
If you are still unsure what we mean by “prepare properly for divorce”, we have ten essential steps which we believe will help you understand further. Two points of note are that first, this applies to both divorces for married couples and when a de facto relationship ends. Second, the ten steps are not necessarily in chronological order, so the timing of each of them is your choice, other than the first one.
Decide And Then Accept Your Marriage/Relationship Is Over: Your first step is to decide and accept that your marriage or relationship is over. We do not suggest that you make this decision on a whim, but more that acceptance will help you move forward and deal with your divorce, whereas denial will not.