I want to take the liberty of directing you to another attorney's blog and his suggestions on how to prepare for a divorce. The firm of Sherman & Jeffries have the Alabama Family Law Blog and have posted a series of steps on this. Please take the time to read these steps if you are considering a divorce. The steps are:
Step 1 - Find a Wise Guide
Step 2 - Make an accounting of the family finances
Step 2A - Determine what you own
Step 2B - Determine what you owe
Step 2C - Determine Income
Step 3 - Make photocopies of all the financial records
Step 4 - Prepare a budget (or two)
Document & Safeguard Personal Property
Step 6 - Establish your own credit
Step 7 - Assess the Financial Accounts
Step 8 - Address the Credit Accounts
Step 9 - Avoid additional debt or major purchases
Step 10 - Stay Put (until further notice)
Step 11 - Keep a diary
Although all of the steps are important, I want to point out step 11 - keeping a diary. I recommend all my clients, whether going through a divorce or a modification, keep a diary that logs telephone calls and in-person conversations, the date and time of each, and the content of each. I also have clients keep logs of items involving the children - comments the children make about a situation that is at issue, whether the other parent was involved, etc. The more you can give the court specifics about an incident, the more likely your testimony is going to be believed by the court. There are ways to protect this from being discoverable and you should discuss these ways with your attorney.
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