Divorce "Tip of the Day:" Ways You Can Help Your Divorce Lawyer

In this blog about divorce in Georgia, we always try to give you some practical tips or helpful ideas to consider in your divorce. Here are a few tips on how to make your appointments with your divorce attorney run more efficiently and productive:

1. First of all, keep your appointments! In other words, if you have a scheduled appointment, then keep it, and, if you must cancel, please call early to cancel it. As a divorce lawyer, I never cease to be amazed at how many people simply stand us up! So, please keep your appointments, or please call and cancel whenever possible!

2. Be prompt! Just as people sometimes are "no shows," you would also be amazed at how many people are often late for appointments! Naturally, sometimes there are good reasons for being late. But please always try to be on time, or early, whenever possible!

3. Be organized. Please plan beforehand exactly what documents you are supposed to bring to your appointment and do your "homework" ahead of time!

4. Write down your questions in advance (and bring them with you). This will also help make your meeting with your divorce lawyer run more efficiently.

5. Maintain your timeline or journal. Here, at The Goolsby Law Firm, we generally ask all our clients to keep and maintain a journal of all contacts with their worthless spouse, "Sluggo." This will not only help your meetings with your divorce attorney run more smoothly, but also it will help you and your attorney be better prepared when you go to court!

I hope these tips help someone "out there!" And I know some of you may be thinking: "Goolsby has all these great ideas for how clients can help their lawyers, but has he considered how lawyers can better help their clients?"

Do you have any ideas? I promise that, in a future post, I will address how lawyers can be more helpful to their clients!

Contempt Motions: Document, But Do Not Deviate!

We have discussed before in this Georgia divorce law blog the importance of keeping a diary, or journal, of every time that your worthless spouse, "Sluggo," is mean to you, or does you dirty! Your divorce lawyer can possibly use that information to help you in your divorce. But this same tip also applies to potential contempt actions. In other words, "Young Grasshopper," it is wise for you to keep pen and paper handy AFTER your divorce, too!

Let's assume, for example, that your deadbeat ex, Sluggo, is running behind on making child support payments, or that he has otherwise failed to live up to your settlement agreement. What should you do?

First, you should contact your divorce attorney about filing a contempt action and taking good ole' Sluggo back before the judge.

But the point here is that, when you see your divorce lawyer, it will help if you have kept meticulous records, including dates and occurrences, of all of Sluggo's violations of the settlement agreement, or court order. In addition, in my opinion, you should rarely give permission to Sluggo to deviate from what the judge had ordered. It might be difficult for the judge to hold Sluggo in contempt for violating the order if you have permitted deviations and made his requirements less clearcut.

Finally, in my opinion, if Sluggo pays child support directly to you, then you should generally NEVER accept cash, (or give cash, if you are Sluggo!), in lieu of a check, as payment of child support or any other obligation. Again, the point is that it is important for you to be able to document everything if you must take your ex back to court and, at least in this one context, cash just doesn't cut it! Now, I realize that, in the real world, if you need the cash which Sluggo is waving around to buy groceries or diapers, then you may very well need to take it, but, even then, you should faithfully write down how much he gave you and when. And if ole' Sluggo had a brain, he would demand a written receipt, too!

Every situation is different. Please discuss your situation with your own divorce attorney. But if you ask me, I will generally tell you: Document, document, document...but do not deviate!

Keeping a Diary or Timeline

Let's assume you have left your spouse, "Sluggo," and that "Sluggo" keeps harassing you with unwelcomed calls and visits, including calls to your work place. What can you do about it?

In addition to possibly calling your local law enforcement agency, and also telling your divorce lawyer about it, there is another important thing you should do: You should document it. In other words, you should keep a diary or timeline about all the nasty things that "Sluggo" is doing to you. Then, you can turn over to your divorce attorney a well documented account of all the bad things that he (or she) has done. Now, the timeline, in and of itself, is probably not admissible evidence. But it may provide a good source of detailed information for your divorce lawyer to use in cross-examining "Sluggo." Don't you see the utility of this strategy? Can't you see your lawyer asking him on the witness stand, "Isn't it true, "Sluggo," that on July 1st at noon, and again on July 2d and 4th, you stalked your wife at work?" Keeping a timeline will also provide you with a good reference source to review and refresh your own memory prior to your own testimony.

In short, keeping a diary or timeline is another weapon which can be effectively used by divorce attorneys to fight spousal abuse. Please be sure to discuss this idea with your own divorce lawyer.