College Station, Texas divorce attorney explains three important areas to address as soon as you decide to divorce

As an experienced College Station, Texas divorce attorney, I am often asked by clients what steps they should take protect themselves when initiating divorce proceedings.  Here are three important areas that you should attend to as soon as you decide to separate from your spouse and seek a divorce.

1.     Prepare for your initial consultation with your attorney

Write down the story of your marriage.  Include the important dates such as when you began living together, when you got married, when your children were born, the dates of any previous separations, and the date of the current separation.

Gather and organize your financial information. You will need tax returns, insurance policies, and all financial statements showing both assets and liabilities.  Include credit card and loan statements and bank account, investment account, and retirement account statements.  If you own a business, gather the financials for it, as well.

Make a detailed list of all the property you and your spouse own. For each asset, include the date you acquired it and how you acquired it (e.g., gift, inheritance, purchase). Take photos of valuable and easily removed items, such as art, antiques, and jewelry.  Make sure to activate the date stamp on your camera before taking the photos.

Start thinking about the property settlement.  Make a preliminary list of which assets you would like to keep and which you are prepared to let your spouse have.

2.     Protect your privacy and reputation

 Rent a post office box and open a new email account.  You will need these to ensure that communications between you and your College Station divorce attorney will remain confidential and your spouse will not have access to them.

Change your other passwords and identification codes.  This is necessary to protect yourself from unauthorized charges and on-line harassment.  Include the codes and passwords for your bank accounts, your ATM cards, existing email accounts, social networks, and online stores.

Ask your spouse to return the duplicate key to your car.

3.     Deal with work related issues

 Come clean with your employer about the divorce.  Don't try to hide it.  Your boss would rather know you have a good (and temporary) reason for missing work or seeming stressed or distracted.  Assure your boss you will make up any time that you need to miss for divorce-related matters.

Start planning for your return to the workforce if you are not currently employed and will need to support yourself after the divorce.  Update your resume and research job possibilities.  Consider working with a career counselor.

Look into your post-divorce health insurance options. If you have health insurance through your spouse's employer, find out whether you will be able to continue that coverage and what the cost will be.  Look into the other possible sources of health coverage and compare their costs.

Consult a College Station, Texas divorce attorney

To talk with an experienced College Station, Texas divorce attorney, call the Peterson Law Group at 979-703-7014 or fill out our online contact form. We are committed to finding solutions for our clients.