If you are unfortunate enough to have an ex who is ready to use every dirty trick in the book to gain an advantage in your divorce, you need to start thinking proactively about how to protect yourself. Here are some suggestions to help you navigate the minefield your ex may be laying for you.
- Document everything. Keep extensive notes, take photos, take videos, and keep a record of everything that happens. This includes visitation, conversations, your parenting time, potential witnesses, and financial transactions Having a record will support your assertions in the future and allow you to prove when your ex is lying.
- Close ranks. It’s time to stop using social media and oversharing with people who are not your closest friends. Think of it as hunkering down to ride out a storm. Your goal is keep as much of your personal information out of your ex’s grasp. You may need to consider things such as having your mail sent to a post office box instead of your home, buying a different car and getting a different license plate, and changing all of your online passwords to randomly generated passwords that have no meaning to you. The more information you can keep from your ex, the better.
- Work closely with your attorney. Keep your attorney abreast of everything your ex is doing and discuss what legal options are available to protect you (such as an order of protection).
- Be proactive. After consulting with your attorney, do things such as closing all joint accounts and credit cards, changing the name on your utilities if you have remained in the marital home, emptying joint safe deposit boxes, and changing the locks. What steps you should take to protect yourself depend on the facts of your particular circumstance.
When you need divorce advice you can trust, turn to DeTorres & DeGeorge. Call us today.