No matter how common the concept of divorce gets, it’s never easy for the people going through it. In fact, the most amicable and cordial of divorce cases can take an emotional toll on the people who go through them. In this situation, having a divorce lawyer on your team helps you remain objective. There are many other benefits of hiring one, such as professional guidance on the legal process. Without it, you need to navigate through the complex legal framework on your own, which has a negative impact on your capacity to manage other responsibilities outside a divorce.
Be Honest With Your Divorce Lawyer
During the consultation period, your divorce lawyer will ask you about important details regarding your marriage. This is where you provide essential documents and details about your marital life. Here, you may feel like withholding information that’s uncomfortable to talk about with your divorce lawyer, but this can be detrimental to your case. Your divorce attorney can only help if you provide the complete truth about your situation.
After all, if you’re withholding details that will come out eventually, your divorce lawyer would rather hear it from you in their office. Otherwise, they’ll be hearing it from your spouse’s attorney during the court proceedings.
1. Having an Extramarital Affair
It’s natural to feel ashamed when you’ve been unfaithful to your husband or wife, and that can make it a difficult subject to discuss with your divorce attorney. But to help you get the outcome you want from the divorce, your attorney needs to know the facts. So, if your spouse caught you cheating or knows that you’re having an affair, make sure to tell your lawyer.
On the other hand, it’s also possible that you’re having an affair and realized that you no longer want to remain in a marriage with your spouse. So, if you want to start a new relationship with your affair partner and are hoping to end your marriage without your spouse finding out, you need to tell your attorney.
It Affects Your Credibility
During the divorce process, you go through a ‘discovery’ stage, and this is when the parties exchange information. You may be required to provide documents, give a written statement, or give an in-person statement. It’s very common for the parties to ask each other about affairs. But if you deny it and it’s later revealed that you lied, your dishonesty can affect your credibility in other areas.
It Involves Finances
Besides infidelity, a major problem with keeping your affair a secret is that it involves money. Because if you spent money on your affair partner when you were married, this money likely came from marital funds. As the party at fault, you may be required to pay back those funds, but your attorney should know about the situation upfront.
2. Having a Sexually Transmitted Disease
If you have reason to suspect that you have a sexually transmitted infection, it’s best to tell your attorney. They’ll recommend that you get tested to be sure. By working with an attorney, you can find the most suitable way to disclose the problem.
On the other hand, if you suspect that you got a sexually transmitted infection from your spouse, you should mention this information to your lawyer. By presenting your case in the right way, your lawyer can help you in receiving compensation for medical treatment and emotional distress.
3. Being Violent at Home
If you’ve been violent towards your spouse or your children, then it’s no longer a secret that only you know. In this situation, you mustn’t hide details about spousal violence from your divorce attorney. When you have a history of abusive behavior, your attorney will explain what steps you should take.
For instance, going to anger management therapy to prove to the court that you take responsibility for past behavior. With your attorney’s help, you can show that you’re working to make changes and that you won’t be a threat to your spouse or children.
4. Having a Run-in with the DCFS
It can be difficult to admit when representatives from the DCFS, the Department of Child and Family Services, visit your home. However, your divorce lawyer needs to know about the context in which the DCFS was involved with you and your family.
It doesn’t matter if they were only involved for a brief time, a long time ago, or because someone reported false information. Even so, telling your attorney is the right thing to do because it prepares them to defend you in front of the judge. Your lawyer can help present these facts in a way that doesn’t reflect poorly on your parenting.
But if you’re inquired about involvement by the DCFS, and you withhold information, it can be detrimental to your case when details come to light later on. You won’t just seem deceptive but suspicious as well. Judges may suspect that you have something to hide, and this can hurt your case.
5. Financial Troubles or Secrets
During divorce proceedings, you must fully explain the financial details of your marriage so the court can deal with matters of property division, child support, and alimony. Even if you’ve been able to hide secret assets or debt from your spouse so far, this becomes difficult during the divorce process. So, if you have any secrets regarding hidden debt or assets, it’s best to inform your attorney.
If the court discovers, during the divorce proceedings, that you’ve been hiding assets, it’s likely that they’ll award your spouse a bigger chunk of the marital assets. Similarly, if you don’t tell your attorney about these hidden assets and they come to light after the divorce is final, your ex-spouse could get the case reopened.
It’s best to remember that as a professional, your divorce attorney is qualified to deal with your case, no matter what secrets you may have. As your lawyer, they’re not here to judge you but to help you separate from your spouse in a way that gives you your desired outcome. Disclosing all relevant information will take a major burden off your chest, and it equips your attorney with the necessary details to represent you.
