Tips to Help You Be a More Effective Divorce Negotiator
It is always in your best interest to work with an attorney when going through the process of negotiating your divorce. But there are still going to be circumstances in which you are involved in discussions, so it’s important to be on the same page as your attorney with regard to your strategy, and to understand some of the elements of strong divorce negotiation.
Here are a few tips:
- Understand your finances: Before you start talking about anything related to your financial situation, make sure you have a solid understanding of your finances, including the value of your assets and your investment portfolios and the money you owe for various loans and other debts. If you do not have a solid grasp of your finances, you will be easily taken advantage of.
- Know your priorities: Carefully think through the issues of your divorce and figure out what’s most important to you. Write down a list of your priorities and rank them in order of importance. If you know what’s most important to you, you’ll be much more effective at negotiating for it.
- Consider your needs and those of your spouse: Know exactly what you need to be able to have enough income and support to cover all your bills. You should never bargain away financial stability. In addition, consider your spouse’s needs and wants a well. If you practice some empathy and keep your spouse’s position in mind, it will allow you to be a fairer negotiator. If your spouse sees you legitimately taking their position into account, it will make them more willing to “play ball” in the negotiations.
- Keep your emotions out of it: Divorce can be an emotionally traumatic process. But when you’re at the negotiating table, you cannot let your emotions get the better of you—otherwise, it could get ugly. If you start to feel yourself getting heated, take a break and calm yourself down.
For more tips about effective divorce negotiation, contact an experienced attorney at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia LLP.