First, if your spouse has a lawyer or you have been served with divorce papers already, YOU NEED A LAWYER NOW. Even if you don’t want a divorce, it’s not just going to go away. At this point, it isn’t your choice. If you don’t hire a lawyer, you may start missing deadlines and become overwhelmed by the legal system’s rules. If you have been blindsided with divorce papers, your spouse has been strategizing for months already and you need to catch up quickly.
But if you are the one thinking about divorce first, how do you know whether your marriage is just going through a rough patch or if it’s time to end it? Depending on your situation, you could be considering a few options. Three common options that couples dealing with marriage problems in Georgia consider are church, marriage counseling, and divorce. Deciding which of those options has the best chance to help you and your spouse resolve your marriage issues can be extremely difficult to figure out.
Are you religious?
Most religious faiths encourage an ongoing marriage. Church saved my marriage when I thought it was lost. If both partners get rooted in your religion, you can probably work through this season of your life. Without you both showing faith in the same God, it will be much more difficult to save your marriage. If you are in Gwinnett and you want God’s help to save your marriage, 12Stone church has a 6-month program to help you Re-engage with your spouse.
Should My Spouse and I Try Marriage Counseling Before Considering Divorce?
Marriage counseling is about providing couples with the tools and environment to open the lines of communication, work through relationship problems, and learn to communicate to each other what they need from the relationship. Whether marriage counseling is right for you is something best left up to you and your spouse to decide. However, AARP did release a list of issues marriage counseling might be able to help you and your spouse work through:
- Money problems
- Growing apart
- Cheating
- Lackluster sex life
- Repetitive unproductive arguments
- Going through a big life change
- Trying to avoid divorce or have an amicable divorce
While some couples try marriage counseling before considering divorce, plenty of other couples do not try that option before talking to a divorce lawyer.
Signs You Should Contact a Divorce Attorney
Even though every marriage is unique, there are a few universal signs that you should be on the lookout for when it comes to deciding whether to contact a divorce attorney, including:
- Disagree about child custody – If a divorcing couple has kids, child custody is almost always a major issue. The laws regarding child custody, child support, mothers’ rights, and fathers’ rights are very complex. Simply put, child custody is not something you should take a chance negotiating on your own, because it could end up costing you time with your children and negatively impact your life and your kids’ lives both in the present and far into the future.
- History of domestic abuse – If a marriage has involved domestic abuse, it’s difficult at best for the abuse survivor to feel safe around their ex-spouse. This makes it nearly impossible to negotiate a divorce fairly without lawyers present.
- Own a business together – If spouses co-own a business, this adds an extremely complicated financial aspect to their divorce. It can often require a legal team working with financial professionals, including consultants, accountants, and appraisers, to get everything sorted out properly.
- Have valuable assets – Property division can be hard even if your assets aren’t high-priced, but when assets are expensive (particularly houses, cars, businesses, investments, and jewelry), negotiations can become very complicated from both a legal and financial standpoint. Think of it this way: What would hurt more, losing your home to your ex-spouse, or losing your home to your ex-spouse because of a legal loophole that a divorce lawyer could have warned you about if you had hired one?
- Expect intense negotiations – If a couple is ending a marriage with a lot of anger and arguments, there’s a pretty good chance that their divorce negotiations will consist of much of the same. The more emotional and irrational couples are during divorce negotiations, the more likely the negotiations will drag on and one spouse or both will end up agreeing to terms they will regret.
Ultimately, if you’re unsure whether you should talk to a divorce lawyer about your situation, then you should probably talk to a divorce lawyer about your situation. An experienced family law attorney will be able to listen to your issues and tell you whether church, marriage counseling, divorce, or some other option is best for you and your spouse moving forward.
Ready to Speak with a Divorce Lawyer? Contact Us Now!
At Daniels & Taylor, P.C., we are ready to listen to you and work with you to figure out the best way forward for you and your family. For decades, our legal team has been helping couples find satisfactory resolutions to family law issues, including divorce, child custody, property division, and alimony. As our clients will tell you, our family law attorneys have a deep understanding of the legal issues you’re facing and how to help you overcome them.
If you’re ready to talk with our legal team about the family law issues you’re facing, give us a call at (770) 285-1673 or fill out our online contact form today.