How to Effectively Communicate with Your Spouse During a Divorce

It is safe to say that if you are going through a divorce, your communication with your spouse is not likely to be at an all-time high. This being said, however, keeping the lines of communication open throughout the divorce process – to the best of your ability – is the surest way to help protect your rights and to help ensure that your divorce proceeds effectively and efficiently forward. If you are facing a divorce, an experienced Illinois divorce attorney is standing by to help.

Why Communication Is King

There are a lot of decisions that need to be made in the course of a divorce. Some of these need to be made on a day-by-day or even an hour-by-hour basis, and some involve the primary terms of your divorce. The better prepared you are to communicate with your soon-to-be-ex, the better prepared you’ll be to tackle the challenges you face. The terms that every divorcing couple must address include:

• Parental responsibilities which includes both decision-making and parenting time 
• The determination of the value and then the division of your marital property, both assets and debts
• Child support and contribution to child-related expenses
• Maintenance, which is also known as Alimony and Spousal Support

Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

The fact is that if you and your divorcing spouse cannot find a way to communicate with one another, it is very likely to slow the divorce process and increase the cost. If you can’t hammer out matters as they arise, you will need to look to your attorneys to do so on your behalf, and adding a middleman to the equation is not going to do you any favors. While some decisions warrant careful attention from your dedicated divorce attorneys, others do not. In fact, any divorce terms that you and your spouse are able to negotiate between yourselves should go directly in the win column.  The key is to utilize your experienced divorce attorney to guide you through what you are entitled to under the law and what is a reasonable course of action and settlement.  You have to keep in mind that not everyone can or should communicate with their spouse during the divorce process; in fact, sometimes unhealthy patterns of communication between the parties can prove to be detrimental to settlement.  Always defer to your divorce attorney to determine whether or not the communication is reasonable and fruitful in regards to aiding with settlement negotiations.

Modes of Communication

Effectively communicating with your divorcing spouse does not mean that you need to have long, drawn-out face-to-face conversations every time you need to make a decision or want to forward a thought. In fact, there is a continuum of communication, and wherever you land on that continuum is fine – as long as it allows you to communicate with one another to the degree necessary. Consider the following:

• If you and your divorcing spouse are fine discussing important divorce matters face-to-face, you are ahead of the game and should keep on doing what you are doing. 
• If in-person communication is out of the question, phone calls can help. 
• If phone calls aren’t getting the job done, don’t beat yourself up – many divorcing couples are able to do all the communicating they need to do through emails and texts, which may be just the ticket for you. 
• Lastly, if there is not a level of communication that is healthy, respectful, and fruitful then it is time to defer to your divorce attorney.

Speak to an Experienced Illinois Divorce Attorney Today

The trusted Illinois divorce attorneys at WARD FAMILY LAW, LLC, have the experience and legal insight to help you foster improved communications with your divorcing spouse, which can help improve the outcome of your case in the long run. To learn more, please don’t wait to contact us today.