When, in the Process of Divorce, Should You Speak to a Denver Family Law Attorney?

Uncontested Divorce Mediation

Posted February 2, 2022

Family law deals in many areas where the law intersects with family and home life. A Denver family law attorney is someone who has practiced in adoptions, name changes, delinquent teen cases, and more than a few divorces. A family law attorney is who you want to see if you are planning a divorce and want to make sure you make the right moves every step of the way. They will help you build strong policies and a good foundation for your separated future.

But when is the best time to consult a Denver family law attorney about your divorce? Some people can almost completely DIY the paperwork and visit a legal service just to have their documents reviewed and notarized before turning them in to the court. Others are dealing with thorny issues that require regular coaching and counseling while hammering out the important mutual fears like shared child custody. With each thorny issue, you may need a dedicated consultation with your family law attorney.

So when should you speak to your family law attorney on your divorce?

When You’re Considering Your Options

The first time most people tend to seek divorce legal advice is when determining their options. This can happen after or long before your separation starts in earnest. You may need to know where your finances will stand after the divorce and what kind of life you can build. You may be concerned about splitting a shared business, property, or accounts.

It’s important to know everything when you’re about to make a major life decision. A divorce is a big cluster of major life decisions, each defined by the laws of your state and the terms of your divorce agreement. A Denver family law attorney can give you the perspective and information you need to make the right decisions moving forward.

When You Are Securing Your Personal Possessions and Assets

Often, the easiest way to avoid losing personal items in a divorce is to secure them before you start sorting shared assets. Working with a family law attorney can help you determine exactly what is legally yours and yours alone. Generally, this includes items and assets that belonged to you before the divorce along with gifts given personally to you. So your childhood collections and your inherited family heirlooms can be secured before you start dividing the house, cars, and all shared assets.

However, be careful. It’s smart to consult with a lawyer over dividing assets as you start dividing just in case something you want to take is officially a shared asset. The last thing you want is for accounts and assets to be frozen because your spouse is afraid you’re emptying the house.

If You Are Concerned About Safety

Not all divorces are peaceful. Some are angry. Some are extremely emotional in other ways. You may need the help of a divorce legal professional if you are worried about safety – yours, your children’s, or even the safety of your spouse. See a lawyer if you are worried about retribution or a bad fight and need alternative ways to approach divorce negotiations. Your Denver family law attorney may also be able to help you connect with support services and mental health professionals who are experienced in divorce trauma cases.

Whether you are worried about violence, self-harm, or indirectly harmful actions, an attorney can help you make careful decisions for everyone’s safety and best interests.

When  You Can’t Agree on a Critical Separation Issue

Many divorcing spouses can agree on a large number of divorce policies. How to share custody, how to split the accounts, and which car each will take often work themselves out in a practical way. But when you hit a hiccup, it’s time to consult with a legal professional. A family law attorney or an experienced Denver divorce mediator can help you work out disagreements and problems with building a mutual divorce settlement by going over the situation in the most practical terms. A mediator will work with both of you to find a mutual solution while a divorce attorney will advise that you work it out with two lawyers across a negotiation table. You will want to pick the route that works best for your situation and your budget.

When You’re Worried About Revenge Spending

Another time to consult a Denver family attorney is if you are worried that your spouse  – or is about to – engage in revenge-spending. This is when one spouse of a divorcing pair tries to spend all the mutual savings and reserves before it can be split in the divorce. They may buy big-ticket items or even waste the money on food and gambling just to keep it from their ex. 

Another, less malicious, form of revenge spending is grief spending. Divorce can be a hard time and people often go into a spiral of depression and spending trying to deal with the sense of loss when a marriage ends. In either case, you may need to take strong or gentle legal action to make sure your accounts are not drained by an irresponsible ex.

When You Need Pre-Divorce Solutions

Sometimes a divorce doesn’t happen fast enough to resolve the ongoing issues. You may need a custody agreement right now, before the divorce is final, to keep co-parenting peacefully with your ex. You may need financial advice or even to take out a restraining order on your ex (or someone else) as a result of the divorce. These are all issues that a Denver family attorney is uniquely capable of helping with – both as part of and outside of divorce proceedings.

Family law often deals with issues of custody, protection, and financial matters in day-to-day life.

When It’s Time to Make Decisions About Custody

Speaking of custody, a Denver family law attorney is trained to handle the delicate task of building a legally binding co-parenting agreement. Child custody today is far more likely to be split evenly between two parents with a number of creative arrangements to optimize the children’s experiences. Some parents take turns in “the house” so kids are not uprooted. Some swap month to month, or semester by semester. You will also need  pattern that will grow and adapt with the needs of your children – and leave room for things like new jobs and careers for the parents.

When You’re Ready to Draft the Divorce Documents

Finally, you will want the help of a legal professional when it comes time to draft your divorce documents. Whether you go through a guided process or mostly DIY your documents, it’s important that a family law attorney or someone similarly trained and licensed helps you write the final draft and prepare it to be submitted to the court. This ensures that your divorce is legally binding, adherent to state laws, and will be accepted by the court the first time you submit it.

Here at Split Simple, we offer family law and Denver divorce mediation services to meet your unique split household needs. Let us help you through the tough parts of getting divorced and the legal fine print so that you can focus mainly on making the right decisions and building two separately successful lives. Contact Split Simple today to consult on your first Denver divorce mediator session to meet your unique needs.