HOW TO FIGHT FOR YOUR PRINCIPLES DURING YOUR DIVORCE
Divorce can be a very difficult process, and it brings out an unexpected side of many people. Perhaps you are struggling with finding the skeletons your spouse hid in the closet during your marriage, and you want to exit the marriage in a way that fights for your principles… maybe even punishes your spouse for their bad behavior. What is the best way to do that? Experienced family lawyer Michelle Hopkins offers insight below.
The short answer is that you need to think of yourself and your children, if any, first.
Michelle has seen many clients become emotionally charged during difficult conversations about their spouse’s behavior. While it is tempting to do everything in your power to throw the book at your spouse, sometimes it simply is not possible to, and often, it ultimately only hurts you. Fighting for a principle requires a significant investment of time and legal fees, which impacts you becoming independently established as best you can after your divorce.
What clients most often do not understand is that Judges must look through the lens of the law, which means they must only consider what laws your spouse may have broken or what case law says about the circumstances of the dissolution of the marriage. Judges cannot always consider all of the extenuating circumstances that got the parties into the court room to divorce.
This perspective is quite different from the lens of society. If you sat down with someone outside of the legal field and explained the circumstances that led to your divorce, they may likely view the matter as you do. They might agree that the spouse who behaved poorly should have a type of punishment as a result of their bad behavior, which simply does not happen if a case is driven to Court.
The most common example of fighting for a principle occurs when adultery is involved. The closest way for a client to potentially receive perceived reparation for the mental and emotional damage of adultery is that the law says that adultery during the marriage might bar spousal support.
The best thing to do for yourself is to exit the marriage in a way that sets you up to successfully establish yourself independently of your spouse, which involves:
- Having your lawyer assist you with leaving the marriage with all the assets that you are entitled to.
- Having your lawyer assist you with leaving the marriage with all the spousal support and child support that you are entitled to.
- Maintaining your mental and emotional health by prioritizing your needs.
- Seeking therapy as needed.
- Taking steps to establish your new life independent of your spouse such as obtaining your own residence, joining social activities, exploring new interests, working out, etc.
- Keeping your legal fees in a reasonable range to minimize the expense of your divorce.*
*You don’t want to be repaying legal fees for years, you want to be living your best life on a beach somewhere! See our article about reducing legal fees in our blog.*
While Michelle always listens to her client’s concerns and respects their emotions about their marriage ending, her ultimate goal with every client is getting them to the other side of their divorce in the best possible circumstances. Doing so is very difficult to balance with fighting for a principle.
How Can The Hopkins Law Firm Help Me?
The Hopkins Law Firm lawyers Michelle Hopkins and Sydney Remaily are highly experienced in balancing your best interests with the emotional aspects of your divorce. Please do not hesitate to contact their office today at 571-248-2210 or info@mhopkinslaw.com to schedule a consultation. Michelle Hopkins and her legal team are waiting to help you!