As an experienced New Jersey Divorce Lawyer, I get questions all the time from clients about how should they settle their case. Many clients after the discovery phase say, “I’m done, I want to settle my case. I’ve learned everything it is I need to know, and I’m ready to go to the settlement table.” What do we do next? Go back to that divorce complaint. What relief did you ask the court for besides just granting you your divorce? Is it equitable distribution? Great, then how are we going to divide those assets? If there are children involved, remember the children aren’t going to be this age forever.
If you’ve got toddlers and you’re getting divorced, that settlement agreement needs to address their needs when they’re in middle school, when they’re in high school, when they’re in college. You need to place hold things like tutors, driving licenses, who’s paying for car insurance, who’s paying for SAT prep. Those are all of the things that people litigate post-divorce, I try to get my clients to think about them at the onset. What’s going to happen when the kids need braces? All of those things that come up later that families need to work through, we put it into the settlement agreement. It should be a one and done, as much as you can, so that you don’t need to go back to court years later with your former spouse.
Have you found it hard to settle your divorce case? Contact our professional New Jersey Divorce Lawyer for more information.