There’s one thing you can do to make your divorce process exponentially more peaceful. If you’re not already doing it, you might want to sit down, get real with yourself and give the following a try: Have compassion for your soon-to-be ex. This may be a lot easier said than done, especially if your spouse is being difficult, saying hurtful things to you or coming at you with aggressive legal tactics. However, if you can — at the very least — avoid engaging in ‘mudslinging’ regardless of the behavior of your spouse, it will help you in your divorce.
The spouse who is more respectful, calm and reasonable in the divorce process tends to win the favor of the court. As such, as long as you’re protecting your legal rights in a reasonable way — without trying to get more than you justly deserve — the court will view you in a more favorable light. In this way, doing your best to have compassion for your ex or to at least treat him or her respectfully will offer two potential benefits:
- It will decrease the likelihood of minor disagreements escalating into a contentious divorce that needs to be litigated in court.
- If your divorce does need to be litigated because your spouse is the one being difficult, it will improve the way the court views you and give an advantage during the litigation process.
It may not be easy to bite your tongue and keep your emotions off the negotiation table in your divorce, but — no matter what the outcome of your divorce — it will help you in the long run. If you want to divorce peacefully and respectfully while protecting your legal rights, make sure you fully understand your rights under Maryland divorce law.
Source: Huffington Post, “3 Mistakes To Avoid In Your Divorce,” Jason Levoy, accessed May 18, 2018