I Will Quit My Job If You Divorce Me!

This question comes up a lot. More than it should. And while you might think that men are the ones asking (threatening?), in my experience, women do it too.

As an aside, I was initially surprised to observe the trend in families where “traditional” roles have been reversed (eg, women are the primary breadwinners and men are the primary caretakers of the children) that “traditional” positions and arguments in divorce also reversed. It’s interesting to see a woman faced with the possibility of paying alimony to her ex. Or to note a common feeling that if a mother stays at home she is raising the kids but if a father stays at home he is just lazy. We’ve all come a long way, baby. I say all of this to make the point that it could be either a man or woman who considers quitting their job to avoid a family support obligation.

While it’s true in Georgia that child support and alimony are calculated based on income, simply ending (or drastically reducing) yours won’t erase your obligations. Worse, attempting to hide your true earnings will likely lead to disaster.

Here’s How To Get The Documents You Need

Both you and your partner are going to need the same information during your divorce. You can find a checklist of the most usual documents here. Ideally (let me just throw out the possibility), the two of you will cooperate and share the information. But if you’re just not at that place in your relationship at the moment, here are some other ways to find the documents you need.

Your File Cabinets. At the risk of stating the obvious, this is the most likely place to start and it is your most cost-effective, efficient option. Most everyone has a place where they keep their important papers, and in all honesty, a lot of unimportant papers too. Hats off to the more organized among us! If emotions or stress levels are high, you might want to wait until your partner is not home to conduct your search.

What Information Do You Need to Gather?

Remember the Scout motto? Be Prepared!

Preparedness is everything, in life and in a divorce. Your most important job is to get yourself ready and positioned for the best possible outcome. Some people think their attorney will do all of the work, but the reality is that your attorney prepares and advises you based on the information that you provide. It’s the same when your CPA prepares your income tax returns based on the information you provide.

Professionals can help educate and guide you, but the success of their work is based largely upon how well you do your part. If you do a bad job, then you will not get your best result.

In order to divorce, you will need to provide certain information. This is true whether you use the information to help negotiate a settlement, or if you end up using it in a court battle. In my experience, the more prepared you are with relevant information, the more likely you will be able to reach an agreement and be confident in the result. If you are unable to settle, then you will be more than ready to make your best case in the courtroom.

In law school, we were taught that we should spend approximately 4 hours outside of the courtroom preparing for every 1 hour we would be in the courtroom. And it’s no different for our clients.

Here’s the basic information you should start gathering. There could be more depending on your individual circumstances.