11 Strategies To Protect Your Practice And Family In Case of Divorce:
When divorce is unavoidable, here is a list of things to keep in mind to help make the best of a bad situation. These observations come from attorney Eric Broder of Broder & Orland, LLC of Westport, CT. Eric practices in the area of family (divorce) law and represents many professionals and business people in the Northeast. These simple tips will serve you, your spouse and your children well during the process. It will also save you a significant amount in legal fees and will help mitigate the damage to your practice.
1. Stay away from court. The quickest way to incur substantial legal fees is to have your lawyer appear in court. If the lawyers and parties cannot resolve your case consider hiring an experienced divorce lawyer for a full day to mediate the matter.
2. If you are the spouse of the practice owner, hope that the practice thrives no matter how much animosity exists between you. Simply put: The more money your spouse earns the more you will receive in alimony and child support.
3. Divorce gossip can only be negative. Keep the details of your divorce private. The more people talk, the further from the truth the conversation becomes. This is especially true for specialists whose referring doctors may be turned off by the public bickering.
4. Try your best to wrap the process up as soon as possible. Don’t fight over every little issue. For example, don’t spend $1,000 in attorney fees to fight over $800 in furniture.
5. Neither spouse should discuss the divorce with staff. Assume they already know too much.
6. Settle custody and parenting plans with a social worker. When a divorce case ends, the attorneys are gone. A social worker, at a far less expensive rate, will provide more qualified advice and be there to resolve future issues as your children grow.
7. A divorce by definition is never “going well”. Accordingly, when others ask about how the divorce is going always answer “fine, under the circumstances.”
8. Provide your attorney with detailed financial information at the start of the case. Gather copies of tax returns and back-up documentation, all financial account statements, private investment statements, credit card statements, insurance policies, property deeds, etc.
9. If you own your own practice, work with your spouse’s appraiser to value your interest in the practice. Allow him to come to your office, and meet with him. Allow him to talk to your accountant or bookkeeper and your partners. The more open access you provide the less it appears that there is any wrongdoing.
10. Be nice and respectful to your spouse’s attorney. Too often divorce lawyers lose their objectivity and take on their client's “cause.” Treat your spouse’s lawyer appropriately and your credibility will increase ten-fold.
11. If you neglect to follow the above advice you are likely to incur more in legal fees. You and your spouse will call your respective attorneys and spend far too much time talking to them and having them write letters about details that have little consequence on the results at the end of the case.
Submitted by Eric J. Broder, Esq., Broder & Orland LLC, Westport, Connecticut, www.broderorland.com.
Continued in the August 15, 2010 Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.
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