This is the fifth post in a series where we alert you to the Pitfalls of the Do It Yourself Divorce.

Pitfall # 5  Thinking you are “doing the right thing.”

The old saying, no good deed goes unpunished, applies to divorce.  We have heard it a million times.  Ok, thats an exaggeration, but we hear it a lot.  You don’t get representation because you just want to do the right thing by your spouse and move on.  Or you have a lot of guilt about the break up of the marriage.  So you don’t fight for yourself.  You thought you moved on, but you find out you still have a mess.

The Risk

People define things differently.  Your definition of the right thing is likely to be very different that your spouse’s. You think you are buying your peace by agreeing to your spouse’s demands and you simply sign whatever they or their attorney puts under you nose.  You believe you bought your peace, but what you find out is that you just committed yourself to something without the protections of reciprocity from your spouse.

An Example

John’s marriage disintegrated after he had a fling with a coworker.  His guilt for ruining his home led him to try to do the “right thing” by his wife.  She demanded the house and a handsome amount of monthly spousal support.  As penance, he agreed.  He failed to sit down and determine how he was going to pay for a place to live, utilities and food.  All was well for awhile, until his reserves were gone.  But there he was, stuck with a court ordered monthly bill to pay his wife. And she was still not in a forgiveness mood.  To fix the mess, he had to hire an attorney to renegotiate if possible and litigate if necessary, something he wishes he had done in the beginning.

Avoid The Risk

Don’t risk a disaster.  Instead, hire an experienced family law lawyer to protect your interests and make sure your divorce is valid.  Shelley Goff at Goff and Goff Attorneys has been practicing family law for 28 years.  Call us. We can help you navigate the process as smoothly as possible.  318-255-1760.

 

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