Archive for 'Preparation'
Divorce Attorneys Finding GPS Useful
Posted on 27. May, 2009 by Alabama Divorce Lawyer, Michael Sherman.
Welcome back! I hope you will consider adding your thoughts or questions to the comment sections of our Alabama divorce and family law articles. Also, you can contact me directly by visiting the Contact Page. Thanks again for returning to our site.
The UPI ran this article entitled, Divorce Lawyers find GPS Useful. In it they describe how many divorce lawyers are increasingly using data from global positioning satellites to track vehicle movements and location in order to prove adultery. I have found this occurring more frequnelty in my Alabama divorce cases as well. The article correctly points out that one of the advantages of using a GPS instead of hiring a private investigator is the cost savings. You can hire a p.i. for several hours at a time over several different days and you may or may not time it correctly to gather evidence. On the other hand, the GPS data will be there all of the time and isn’t charging you by the hour.
The article also states that an advantage to the GPS is that an owner of the vehicle can conceal it on the car. My only word of caution about that is that the laws vary from state to state and are constantly changing. So, before you go put a GPS on your vehicle that your spouse doesn’t know about, you should run it by your divorce lawyer first.
Continue Reading
7 Steps to Survive Divorce
Posted on 20. May, 2009 by Alabama Divorce Lawyer, Michael Sherman.
I came across this excellent article entitled, 7 Steps to Help You Get Through Divorce. It doesn’t appear that the author is an attorney, but his advice is right on the money. If you are facing a divorce in Alabama (or anywhere, for that matter), the article is worth a read.
I appreciate the fact that his first step is to hire a divorce lawyer. In his words, “a lawyer will be your best friend for how ever long you divorce is active.” I would only add, that the right divorce lawyer will be your friend for how ever long your divorce case is active.
Some of his other steps were included in my own series on Alabama Divorce Preparation.
Finally, I like the fact that he concludes with the important reminder for parents to never use the child as leverage in a divorce. I see that too often, with devastating consequences.
Continue Reading
Alabama Divorce Preparation
Posted on 13. May, 2009 by Alabama Divorce Lawyer, Michael Sherman.
A while back, I wrote a series of articles on Alabama Divorce Preparation. The article explored what someone facing divorce ought to do to best protect themselves under Alabama divorce laws. Recently, I have noticed that many people have been coming to this blog looking for information on Alabama divorce laws, but particularly on preparing for divorce.
For that reason, I thought it would be helpful to direct you to the final article I wrote on Alabama Divorce Preparation. If you visit that page, it will show you each of the 13 Steps I outlined and includes a link so you can get more information for each one. I hope it is helpful to you.
Continue Reading
Financial Planning for Divorcing Spouses
Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by Alabama Divorce Lawyer, Michael Sherman.
The Daily Breeze recently published an article on the finanical planning that divorcing spouses should consider. The article suggests that in addition to having good divorce attorneys involved, that divorcing spouses should also consider involving a “divorce savvy” finanical planner. One of the soundest pieces of advice that the artilce suggests is also something I always tell my divorce clients: get a copy of there credit report. You can usually get a free copy once a year from a service like www.freecreditreport.com.
The author also recommends removing your ex’s name from all joint bank accounts and considering whether you should refinance any joint debt that cannot easily be divided between the two of you.
Here is a link to the full article.
Continue Reading
Divorce Preparation Series Conclusion
Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by Alabama Divorce Lawyer, Michael Sherman.
As mentioned in the most recent post, we have reached the end of the series on steps to take when you are facing a divorce. Although there are other things to say on the subject, if you consider these steps and discuss them with your lawyer, it should ease the difficulty of the process.
I set out here the list of steps to consider in its entirety for easy reference:
2. Make an accounting of the family finances
2A. Determine what you own
2B. Determine what you owe
2C. Determine income (yours and your spouse’s)
3. Make photocopies of the financial records
5. Document and safeguard personal property
7. Assess the financial accounts
8. Address the credit accounts
9. Avoid additional debt or major purchases
10. Stay put
11. Keep a diary
12. Consider a private investigator
13. Be good