Dangers Of Kitchen Table Divorce Negotiations Without Lawyers
Posted on: 15 March 2017
If you and your spouse have mutually agreed to divorce, you may be tempted to sit down with your spouse and come up with a divorce agreement without involving any professionals. Unfortunately, such kitchen table divorce negotiations often end in heartache for at least one person. Here are a few reasons you should avoid such a divorce agreement:
It Can Produce Spur-Of-The-Moment Agreements
Kitchen table negotiations are, by their nature, informal and friendly. This means your guard will be down and you will be likely to agree to things without thinking them over carefully. For example, you may find yourself agreeing to a low valuation of your partner's side business because they "can't lie to you." your partner may also ambush you with a topic of which you know nothing, and you may find yourself going with the flow because you want to be a good spot.
Having an attorney at the table will help you avoid such mistakes. The attorney will look after your interests and ensure that any agreement you make is an informed one.
You May Fail To Get Legally Binding Agreements
One of the worst things about negotiating without a lawyer is that you may fail to get a legally binding agreement because you trust your partner. This usually happens if a couple fails to include all parts of their divorce agreement in a written document that are signed by witnesses. You may think that it's only the "major" things like child custody that need to be written down, but that is not the case. Everything you agree on should be written down and signed by both of you and placed on the court's record. If you don't do that, it will be difficult to prove that you had such an agreement or enforce it if your partner reneges on their word.
It Makes It Easy For Your Partner to Trick You
Lastly, negotiating a divorce agreement without a lawyer also exposes you to the tricks devised by your partner. In fact, some people specifically suggest or encourage such forms of negotiations so that they can trick their partners, because they know it will be difficult for you to spot their tricks. However, divorce lawyers are used to these tricks and will spot them more easily than you. For example, divorce lawyers know that a person who seems to agree with everything or wants the process over as fast as possible is probably hiding something and wants the process over before they are discovered.
To avoid these dangers, contact a divorce attorney in your area, such as Moore Robert G Attorney at Law.
Share