If you are in the process of ending your marriage, there is a good chance that you are beginning to realize that your life is much different compared to when you were married. If you have children, the differences are probably even more notable. For many divorced parents, the first school year after the divorce is the most challenging, as they must establish new routines for their children and boundaries for the parents. When back-to-school season falls in the midst of your divorce, you will need to take steps to ensure that your children have every possible opportunity to succeed.

Figure Out a Way to Cooperate

Every situation is unique, and there is no easy way to decide how you and your spouse will work together regarding school. Decisions regarding child custody or conservatorship may still be pending, so you might both still share decision-making authority for school-related concerns. The best option is for you and your spouse to put your differences aside and to create a plan designed to let your child thrive in the new school year. If this is not possible, you may need to ask the court to issue a temporary order allowing you to make education plans on your own.

Planning for Open House

The new school year will probably start with some type of orientation or open house where you can tour the school, meet the teachers, and look at what your child will be doing this year. If you can manage it, invite events such as these with your spouse so that you both get the same information from the teachers and the school. If things are too tense, make arrangements to attend the events separately so that neither of you misses important information. You should both also have access to online resources for seeing your child’s assignments, grades, and other materials throughout the year.

We all know people who invest substantial time and energy in posting the details of their lives on social media networks such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. In some situations, the attraction of social media is strong enough that it causes people to lose touch with the things that are happening in real life. While most people are able to use social media in a reasonable way—such as to connect with distant family and friends, others want to broadcast more to the outside world. When you are in the midst of a legal action that affects you personally, such as a divorce, it is important to recognize the dangers of putting your life out there for all to see.

Mixed Messages

The first thing you need to keep in mind about social media and divorce is that literally anything you post could eventually be presented as evidence in your case. Posting on the internet does not require ink and paper, obviously, but emails, text messages, and even screenshots of posts can be printed and presented in court. This is especially important if your social media profiles are at odds with what you have presented in your filings. For example, if you reported in your divorce paperwork that you are currently between jobs, but your profile on LinkedIn says you work for a buddy’s business—maybe under the table—questions are likely to be raised.

Similarly, you are likely to face questions based on experiences and photos you share on Instagram or Facebook. You might, for example, assume that your privacy settings prevented your soon-to-be ex-spouse from seeing the photos you posted of your recent trip to Jamaica. But, what happens if a mutual friend shows your spouse anyway? And how do your photos align with your claim that you do not have money for basic expenses? Even if someone else paid for your vacation, you are likely to have some difficult explaining to do.

If you and your spouse have reached the point where a divorce seems inevitable, you might be inclined to try to get through the process of divorce as quickly as you are able. In fact, a large number of attorneys and law firms seem to suggest that faster is automatically better. However, a quick divorce is not always the best route to take, especially if you and your spouse have accumulated substantial assets or have other complicating factors. It is critical to make sure that each aspect of the divorce is addressed properly, even if doing so means taking a bit more time than you would prefer.

Change Your Way of Thinking

You probably have perfectly valid reasons for wanting your divorce to be finalized quickly. Maybe you met someone and are anxious to start a new relationship. Perhaps, you are just ready to be done with your spouse after many years of fighting and bitterness. Or, maybe the thought of a long divorce just does not sit well with you. Whatever your reasons may be, a fast divorce might be possible, but you must be certain that you are not giving up too much to get there.

Potential Dangers

A divorce is more than just the end of a romantic relationship; it is also the severing of the marital contract you have with your spouse. This makes a divorce a complicated process with numerous important steps. Among these is a full financial disclosure to ensure that both parties receive an equitable share of the marital estate. Regardless of how little or how much you make, racing through your financial disclosure could create problems for you. If you forget about a source of income or an asset, you could be accused of trying to hide the asset in question. Accusations of hidden assets or incomplete financial disclosures could result in your divorce taking much longer than you wanted.

Couples that choose to end their marriage and get a divorce will need to address a variety of issues related to their property and finances, their children, and other areas of their lives. While these issues can be complicated in any situation, those who are involved in a high asset divorce may need to deal with multiple types of complex assets. By understanding the types of marital property that may need to be considered during the divorce process, couples with a high net worth can make sure they are approaching financial matters correctly.

Addressing and Dividing Complex Assets

For divorcing couples who reside in the state of Texas, community property must be divided in a matter that is “just and right.” Community property includes all assets and debts acquired by either spouse while they were married. In high net worth divorce cases, a couple may need to consider complex assets, including:

• Financial accounts and investments - A couple may own and use multiple types of bank accounts both together and separately, such as savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs). In addition to dividing the funds in these accounts, other types of investments will also need to be considered, such as stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrency. 

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Spring is here, and for many Texans, it's a time of hope and renewal after a long and stressful two years. It's also a time for many couples to reassess their marriages, especially those who put divorce plans on hold during the pandemic.

If you and your spouse have already separated or attempts to strengthen your marital bond haven’t gone as planned, you may be thinking of taking the next step to ending your marriage. But you likely have a lot of questions.

Focus on the three main divorce issues

The first impact of divorce is always emotional, whether intense sadness or anger. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's the normal way to respond. But once the divorce process begins, it's crucial to focus on the three primary legal aspects: