Even though social media has not been around for a very long time, it has found a significant place in our society. For many people, social media plays a significant role in their lives, allowing them to communicate with friends and family members in ways that they may not have been able to otherwise. However, social media can also be detrimental to relationships and can cause other issues if you decide to get a divorce. A skilled divorce lawyer will be able to guide you throughout your divorce and can keep you informed about your social media use.

Your Actions on Social Media Can Affect Nearly Every Area of Your Divorce

Your social media use can have a big impact on your divorce proceedings as a whole. A plethora of issues can be affected by what you and others post on social media, including issues such as spousal support, asset division, parenting time, and child custody. For example, a spousal support and asset division order could be affected by a photo posted of extravagant purchases that a spouse made after they made claims that they did not have the funds to do so.

For many people, going through a divorce is a bittersweet experience. However, going through a divorce is also an experience that requires a good deal of level-headed decision-making, which does not always go hand-in-hand with times of stress. While there are many ways to get a divorce, one of the biggest decisions you will have to make is whether or not you hire a lawyer to assist you with your divorce process. Some people are attracted to the extremely low price tag of a “do-it-yourself” or “DIY” divorce, as the only fees you pay are filing fees and court costs. However, getting a divorce is a very complex process and the decisions you make can end up affecting nearly every part of your life.

Pertinent Reasons to Work With a Divorce Attorney

Technically, you are not required to have a lawyer when you file for divorce. It is completely legal for you to fill the forms out yourselves, file them, and appear before the judge in the final prove-up just the two of you. However, doing so could result in one of the biggest mistakes of your life. Hiring an attorney when you get a divorce is a smart move in protecting your rights and ensuring the process is done correctly. Here are a few other benefits to having the support of an attorney during your divorce:

• They are intimately familiar with family law and can help you protect your rights during the divorce process.

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In many divorces, there is some level of contention or resistance between the spouses. In some cases, this can manifest in the form of simple disagreements during negotiations. In other cases, this contention stems from a combative and in some cases, potentially even narcissistic spouse. High-conflict divorces are not only stressful for the entire family, but they also turn into legal marathons that require a lot of time and can end up costing quite a bit of money. If you are contemplating divorce and you suspect your spouse may be difficult during the divorce process, there are things that you can do to try to keep your divorce as amicable as possible.

Is Your Spouse a High-Conflict Person?

Before you even begin the divorce process, you should have a good idea of whether or not your spouse is going to be agreeable during the divorce. In most cases, the spouses who act the worst during divorce already have underlying personality or mood disorders, such as narcissistic personality disorder. Classic signs and symptoms of a high-conflict personality include:

Getting a divorce can feel like you are running a marathon with hurdles and other obstacles in your way the entire time. Even those who are the most prepared going into a divorce can come out on the other side feeling drained in nearly every way -- emotionally, financially, and physically. It can come as a sigh of relief once the judge finally signs on the dotted line of your divorce decree, but that does not mean that your work is done. Now that you and your spouse are legally divorced, the work of ensuring that the terms of the divorce judgment go into effect begins. 

Update Documents if Your Name Has Changed

For many people, women especially, taking their partner’s last name is a symbolic way to show the creation of their family and their commitment to their spouse. However, many people choose to change their last name back to what it was prior to the marriage after their divorce. If you have changed your name, you should be sure to update all of your important documents and request official copies of them, such as your driver’s license, credit cards, medical insurance, and more.

When you are planning for a divorce and know that you own substantial assets with your spouse, it is important to have an experienced Aurora high-asset divorce attorney on your side who can advocate for your rights from start to finish of your divorce case. To be sure, high asset divorces often give rise to certain complications that do not come up in divorces where the spouses own assets worth significantly less money, or in divorce cases where the spouses earn relatively ordinary incomes. Below are some of the most common issues that arise in Illinois high asset divorces. 

Valuing and Appraising Complex Assets

High value assets in a divorce can be notoriously difficult to value, particularly when the assets are complex or unique. For example, if you and your spouse own an art collection and all or part of the collection will be classified as marital property and subject to division, the market value of the collection likely will shift over time (and potentially significantly), and it may be difficult to determine the market value at the time of the divorce. In such cases, it may be necessary to work with an expert appraiser who can properly assess the market value.