If you are going through a divorce in Texas, you have the option of negotiating a settlement with your spouse without court involvement. Negotiating a settlement is a fundamental part of the divorce process that should not be taken lightly.
After all, the divorce settlement can impact various aspects of your life for years to come after your divorce is finalized. For this reason, it is advisable to seek the legal counsel of an experienced attorney to help you negotiate a mutually beneficial settlement and avoid unnecessary conflicts during the process.
Contact a knowledgeable attorney if you need help with negotiating a divorce settlement with your spouse in Texas. Schedule a case review with our Waco divorce attorneys at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard to discuss your particular situation.
Negotiating a Divorce Settlement vs. Going to Court
When divorcing couples are unable to reach an agreement, they may need to take their divorce case to court to resolve their contested issues. Going to court can increase the cost of divorce and take longer to finalize your divorce. That is why negotiating an out-of-court divorce settlement is a quicker and cost-efficient alternative to litigation.
However, reaching an out-of-court settlement may not be cheap or fast when you do not know how to negotiate a divorce settlement with your spouse. For this reason, we have prepared eight tips to help you resolve disputes with your spouse and negotiate a settlement effectively.
8 Tips on Negotiating a Divorce Settlement
If you are negotiating a settlement with your spouse to finalize your divorce, follow these tips to ensure that you know how to handle the negotiation process.
1. Focus on What is Really Important to You
It does not make sense to fight over every little thing in your divorce case. Undoubtedly, there will be many points of contention between you and your spouse when going through a divorce. For this reason, you need to pick your battles wisely.
You need to know which matters of your divorce are truly important and which ones are not worth the fight. Sometimes, you can get so much more if you are willing to compromise.
2. Do Not Be Too Aggressive
Some people mistakenly believe that being too aggressive can help them get the upper hand in divorce settlement negotiations. In most cases, the opposite is true. You are more likely to reach a consensus with your spouse if you remain calm and are willing to listen to your spouse’s arguments.
Keeping a cool head can help you make reasonable decisions without turning your spouse against you.
3. Maintain a Healthy Relationship With Your (Former) Spouse
Make people seeking a divorce tend to burn their bridges and destroy their relationship with their spouse. It is understandable that you probably experience all kinds of emotions and may even hold a grudge against your spouse when going through a divorce.
However, the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with your former spouse cannot be overstated, especially if you share minor children together.
Co-parenting after a divorce is much easier when both parents are able to communicate with each other and put the interests of their children first.
4. Try to Understand Your Spouse’s Perceptions
If you catch yourself thinking, “What is he/she doing?” during divorce settlement negotiations, try to put yourself in your spouse’s shoes to understand their perceptions.
When you know how your spouse thinks and why he/she makes certain decisions, you are more likely to agree to a settlement. As a result, you will be able to better respond to your spouse’s claims and arguments when negotiating a settlement.
It may be necessary to consult with an attorney to get a better understanding of your spouse’s perceptions when negotiating a divorce settlement.
5. Keep Your Emotions in Check
A spouse’s inability to control their emotions can complicate the divorce process and make it harder – or even impossible – to negotiate a settlement. Do not let your emotions take the best of you.
You should stay calm when negotiating a divorce settlement with your spouse because losing your tamper or making irrational decisions can result in a breakdown in settlement negotiations.
6. Be Transparent About Everything
When it comes to negotiating a divorce settlement, it is critical to be transparent about everything with your spouse and your attorney. Many divorce settlement negotiations are unsuccessful simply because of the lack of trust between the spouses. Those trust issues may be stemming from the marriage.
However, you can build trust during settlement negotiations if you show your good faith efforts to be fully transparent when providing requested information about your finances and other matters.
7. Solve Problems with Communication
Communication is key to successful negotiations. Understandably, you may not be too happy about having to communicate with your spouse for days or weeks on end in an attempt to reach an agreement.
For this reason, you should seek the legal counsel of a divorce attorney to facilitate communications between you and your spouse to ensure that you can work out a divorce settlement.
8. Strive for a Mutually Beneficial Divorce Settlement
A mutually beneficial divorce settlement has nothing to do with winning or losing. Instead, you and your soon-to-be-former spouse should strive for a fair settlement agreement. This may require you to compromise to ensure that everyone is satisfied with the outcome.
Do your best to listen to your spouse and try to understand your spouse’s point of view to settle your divorce.
Speak with a Waco Divorce Attorney
If you are going through a divorce, you need an attorney to protect your rights and interests during divorce settlement negotiations. It is critical to understand your rights when negotiating an agreement with your spouse.
At The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard, our knowledgeable divorce attorneys are committed to helping you resolve your disputes with your spouse to ensure that you can reach a mutually beneficial settlement. Call (254) 220-4225 to receive a free case review.
RELATED READING