- Hire an experienced family law lawyer. They will be able to give you realistic, straight forward advice and won’t charge you an arm and leg to research an answer for a question which they deal with daily
- Be organized. You will need to provide your attorney with financial documents including statements for any financial accounts or bank accounts, tax returns, statements for your mortgage as well as statements for any money that you owe.
- Do not post any personal information about yourself, spouse or children on social media.
- Respond to your attorney promptly.
What should I do before filing for divorce in Indiana?
- Establish a separate bank account. If you paycheck goes to a joint account, change it to your account.
- Gather your financial documents.
- Hire an attorney.
- Make a plan for supporting yourself. Your attorney can help you with this.
- Do not discuss your divorce, kids, spouse or yourself on social media.
What should I ask my divorce lawyer before hiring them?
- Experience. Ask how much of their practice is family law and how long they have been doing it.
- Cost. Ask what they charge and if there is a retainer (refundable to not). Ask about other costs that may come up for appraisals, experts, custody evaluation.
- Competence. Can they answer your questions about the process? Options for handling the divorce?
- Compassion. Is this someone I feel comfortable working with? Do they listen to me? Do they tell me my options?
What does a divorced parent have to do before they move?
- If you have a minor child in Indiana, you must file a Notice of Relocation with the court.
- It is better to hire an attorney to do this for you as there are very specific requirements and the Notice will be void if you do not meet the many requirements.
- The Notice of Relocation should be filed 90 days before the move.
- The other parent may object and ask the court for custody of the child. There are many factors that will affect a court’s decision regarding custody and it is important to talk to an attorney so that they can give you advice for your specific situation.
- What if I am only moving across the street? Indiana law still requires that you file a Notice of Relocation.
