When you get married, your focus is on love, happiness, building a future together, and very possibly the honeymoon. When you divorce, your focus is on things like property division and determining what is marital property and what is separate property. The issues surrounding property division in California are very involved. For that reason, one of the first and most important decisions that you make in the process of divorce will be selecting your divorce lawyer.
The right divorce lawyer can do a lot of things for you when it comes to working through the division of your assets with your spouse. Your lawyer can:
- Help you to understand the rules concerning marital property and marital debts
- Give you guidance on what property you may be able to claim as your separate property to keep it from being divided in the divorce
- Help you document the specific facts of your case in order to support any claims of separate property
Several things figure into selecting the right divorce lawyer. First, you want to find one with a successful history. For example, they may have many years of successful experience of helping people get through their divorces and an excellent reputation among their clients for results. They may also be good at settling divorce cases without litigation — which is always a plus.
Additionally, you want to find a divorce attorney you really trust. Meet with them, sit down and talk with them, and establish a rapport. That comfort level will be critical, as you will be sharing personal and privileged information about your marriage, your children, your money, and your possessions as you proceed with your case.
No divorce is easy, but having an attorney by your side that you can comfortably communicate with will make the process more bearable. Knowing you can count on their experience as you work through the division of your marital property will also give you confidence in the proceedings.
