Marietta and Metro Atlanta Divorce and Family Law Blog

The Ladder to a Successful Divorce

Posted by Diane Cherry, Managing Partner | Dec 01, 2022 | 0 Comments

Climbing Out of a Bad Marriage

You can climb your way out of a bad marriage regardless of how daunting it may seem.  

To prepare for your divorce, you may want to tackle one or more of the following tasks.

1. Find a lawyer to represent your best interests.  This is easier said than done.  You should speak to anyone you are considering and go with your gut feelings.  You not only need trust and confidence in the lawyer's ability but you need to know that this is someone you feel comfortable talkin got and taking advice from  Not every lawyer is right for everybody. And if you have champagne tastes and want the best representation, don't expect a lawyer with KMart pricing.  You get what you pay for so make sure your expectations are aligned with  your budget.

2. Download any financial records you can.  Don't bother making copies.  Documents are exchanged digitally in today's world.  Go online and download all bank, credit card, retirement, pay and other financial records for use in your divorce.

3.  Run a free credit report on yourself. Get the report to make sure there are no hidden surprises.  If there are any unknown accounts or past due expenses, now is the time to find out what happened and why.

4. Download your text message history.  Texts are part of every divorce so best to download and save your text history now.

5  Videotape your house and household contents.  Sometimes things go missing or get destroyed in a divorce or false allegations are made about damage.  Don't wait until it's too late to do anything about it.  Videotape everything in your house and the condition of the walls, doors, windows, etc. so you have the evidence you need in case of any future issues. And if your spouse has a collection of empty liquor bottles, beer cans, illicit drugs or other evidence of substance abuse, videotape that as well.

6.  Safeguard valuables.  If you have expensive jewelry or other heirlooms, put them in safekeeping to minimize the risk of your spouse taking them. Out the in a safety deposit box or allow a trusted family member or friend to hold them but do not leave them out for your spouse to take.

7. Update and change passwords.  Change passwords on all accounts and make sure the change is not anything that anyone, including your spouse could ever guess or access.

8.  Disable all location tracking on phones, IPads, vehicles and other devices. Don't give your spouse the means to track or stalk you during your divorce.  

9.  Learn how to record conversations.  You can use a smartwatch or buy a recording device on Amazon for less than $20 but either way, recording bad behavior or conversations with a spouse can be very helpful in a divorce.

10. Look for hidden cameras and records in your home and on your car.  There are so many clever ways to plant cameras in the home or on a car that you have to be alert to.  Be mindful or new or strange devices in the home that may be recording your conversations or activities.

11. Address any substance abuse issues.  If you know your spouse is going to accuse you of substance abuse, make sure you are squeaky clean and can easily pass a comprehensive drug and alcohol test, which are routinely ordered in divorces.  Don't wait until a divorce is filed to stop--do it now.

12.  Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your case.  You know what your spouse is going to accuse you of so prepare to meet those accusations and be prepared to frankly discuss the good, the bad and the ugly with your spouse.

It all comes down to preparation.  The better prepared you are in advance, the smoother your divorce will be and the more likely you will be to have a successful outcome to your divorce.

About the Author

Diane Cherry, Managing Partner

I am an Atlanta area Family Law Attorney who has represented hundreds of clients in federal and state courts and administrative hearing cases throughout the State of Georgia.

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