The average person is never fully prepared to get a divorce. No matter how often you have fought with your spouse and even if you have gotten divorced before, few people who get married truly expect their relationship to end with divorce. Since divorce is one of the most expensive legal processes a person can expect to experience in his or her lifetime, it is normal for finances to occupy your mind once the initial divorce paperwork is filed. Everyone worries that they will be left destitute at worst or, at best, end up with barely half of everything they worked hard to obtain. These financial concerns sometimes lead to attempts to beat the system that backfire, causing much more trouble than a person ever anticipated.
Hiding Assets
A person getting divorced may entertain some thoughts of hiding cash, property, or other assets from a spouse. The reason people do this is because they are worried that the judge hearing their divorce will not award them their fair share of marital assets. Even if you get creative (in your opinion) by giving away assets, reducing your income through various methods, and finding less obvious ways to reduce the amount of marital property to be divided, you will get caught. Lawyers who have handled thousands of divorces and forensic accountants who have seen every money hiding method imaginable will uncover your scheme, destroying your credibility with the court.
Quitting Your Job
At the height of a bitter divorce, a spouse who faces the unpleasant prospect of paying child support and spousal support for years may decide to beat the system by quitting his or her job. They assume that since they now have no income the court can not expect them to support their soon to be ex-spouse, and they may even hope to receive spousal support themselves. In reality, the court does not look kindly on anyone voluntarily reducing income. Instead of calculating your support obligations based on your lack of income, the court will make its calculations based on what it knows you are capable of making, leaving you with a huge support obligation and no stream of income.
Interfering with Visitation
An angry custodial parent who is tired of late spousal or child support payments or mad with an ex-spouse in general may decide to punish that person by not allowing him or her to visit the couple’s mutual children. If visitation is court ordered or a temporary custody arrangement is being enforced, you could find yourself accused of being in contempt of court. Using visitation to punish your spouse may end with your ex-spouse getting more visitation than before or being awarded custody entirely. Instead of taking matters into your own hands to punish your ex, let the court manage late support payments or other issues that arise.
Let Your Attorney Handle Things
Instead of letting your temper get the best of you or experimenting with your own methods for getting the most out of your divorce, turn to a qualified attorney for help. Letting your divorce attorney handle everything keeps you safe from making a legal misstep that could cost you your entire case. The attorneys at Vayman & Teitelbaum are able to provide you with legal advice and representation you need to obtain the outcome you desire. Call us today to schedule a consultation at one of our several Atlanta, Georgia locations so that we can begin providing you with the help you need immediately.
