Belleville Family Law Blog

With the help of a parenting agreement, you should have a clear idea of what's expected of you in regards to co-parenting.

Child custody trouble can quickly spoil the summer vacation you've been looking forward to, so make sure you eliminate any potential concerns before they bog you down.

If you've finally come to realize that divorce is the best way to improve your life, you shouldn't hesitate to push forward with the process.

While you want to move forward in an efficient manner, you also need to know what to expect along the way. For example, a high net worth divorce can bring many challenges to the divorce process.

Maybe you and your spouse have been chatting about divorce for quite some time. Or maybe you've been thinking about this, while your spouse doesn't believe too much is wrong with your marriage.

Regardless of your situation, there may come a point when you need to ask for a divorce. This is easier said than done, but with some tips you can put yourself on the right path. Here are the things you need to do:

• Prepare yourself for the conversation, knowing that anything and everything could be thrown your way
• Choose the right time and place, all with the idea of remaining safe
• Be firm in what you're saying, as you don't want to give off the impression that you're not "all in"
• Be ready for anything in regard to your spouse's reaction, from crying to shouting to laughing
• Don't feel that you have to discuss the details at this time, as you can get to this in the future

If you decide to divorce, it won't be long before you're learning more about mediation. While you may not know exactly what to expect, you realize that it's the best way to work through your differences to eventually put your marriage in the past.

Here are a few things you should know about the divorce mediation process:

• The first meeting is when you sit down with the mediator to define the issues that need to be resolved
• Additional meetings are scheduled so that you and your soon to be ex-spouse can negotiate on the issues at hand, such as child custody, property division and visitation rights
• Once you compromise on each and every issue, the mediator will draft an agreement that outlines every last detail
• You have the opportunity to review the agreement to ensure that it is exactly what you expected
• The mediator will file the papers with the appropriate court