Most people think that the time to talk to a lawyer for the first time about a divorce is when they have finally made up their minds to file the court papers and start the process or when they have received the court papers filed by their spouse. Sometimes that may be too late.

Let me start with kind of a silly example. Most of us in this country have never played a game they play in England and other countries called cricket. If someone were to invite you to play cricket next weekend, you would probably want to take the time to have someone explain the rules to you. It's the same, and much more important, in divorce.

There are many financial moves which should be avoided if you think there is a possibility of becoming divorced. For example, if the house that you owned in just your name before the marriage needs refinancing. You may just place the house into joint names and have your spouse join with you on the new mortgage papers as a normal routine of the refinancing process. Only later do you find out that you may well have donated to the marriage the equity you had built up individually in the home.

There are also things you may wish to monitor so that you know if your spouse is rearranging assets in anticipation of divorce. Sometimes by the time the divorce papers are filed, it is too late to undo the damage.

A consultation with a divorce lawyer is confidential and can save you a lot of future heartache.

Bottom Line: From my experience as a divorce lawyer, if you think that there is even the possibility that your marriage is heading for a divorce, consult with a qualified divorce attorney as soon as possible.

(copyright Stann Givens 2009)