For many Virginia couples, divorce can be a challenging and emotionally difficult time. Where people once felt love for their spouse, it can be all too easy for those feelings to be surmounted by anger and even hatred. While these kinds of negative feelings may be natural during a divorce to some extent, it may be wise not to allow them to guide a legal strategy or approach to divorce negotiations. People may want to share their negative emotions with their friends or a therapist while keeping a clearer, more neutral eye on issues related to child custody or property division.
There are a number of reasons to avoid a high-conflict divorce environment, if possible. In the first place, people can help to keep down their own stress by preventing costly escalations in legal bills. Modeling positive, amicable behavior can also help to inspire similar behavior in an estranged spouse, helping both parties to negotiate a settlement. For couples who will need to share custody of their children, maintaining a baseline level of neutral communication can be important in transitioning to a co-parenting relationship.
People can also benefit during the property division process by avoiding unnecessary conflict, especially on social media or in the workplace. Spouses who want to achieve a fair settlement of their assets would not benefit from putting their former partner’s employment in jeopardy or damaging their business. Instead, people may even be held accountable in family court for harassing behavior during a divorce.
Divorce is an emotional time for many people, but the practical and financial consequences may linger on far longer. A family law attorney may help a client to negotiate a fair settlement on property division, child custody and other matters.