- Do not believe everything you read on the internet.
- Believe that your divorce is “just like your friend’s divorce.” Just like marriage and children –no two are alike.
- Belittle your spouse to your children. No judge wants to hear that little Suzy or Sally knows Dad was sleeping with the secretary and that is why Mommy and Daddy don’t live together.
- Use your attorney as a counselor. Attorneys’ hourly rates are anywhere from $200-400/hour in East Tennessee. A good counselor is much less expensive and maybe covered by insurance.
- Act like an idiot on social media. See #8 above. Divorce is stressful. Maybe you did not post the picture of yourself hugging the jumbo margarita at Cancun’s but your friend might have and tagged you…yes, it was not your night to have the kids but no, it is not easy to erase that image from a Judge’s mind.
- Make promises regarding your divorce with your spouse. Our firm is all for peaceful resolution but if you and your spouse have coffee and decide to hammer out details on your own – let us do the drafting so that you are not paying us to undo problems later.
- Call or communicate directly with the opposing attorney or the Court.
- Sell assets or acquire new debt unless we have an agreement with the opposing party in writing.
- Avoid your attorney’s phone calls – no, all news will not be good but avoiding bad news will only prolong your case.
- Worry yourself into a full-fledged panic attack. Yes, divorce is amazingly difficult however you will survive.