How To Protect Yourself During an Arizona Divorce

When a person files for a divorce, there is a chance the other party will contest the divorce. This is unfortunate, but it does happen. At this point, it is important that you and your children’s safely is not compromised. For this reason, there are some practical solutions to protecting yourself physically, emotionally, and financially during a divorce in Arizona. Read on to learn more.

How to Physically Protect Yourself During a Divorce

If you believe your spouse poses a physical threat to you or your children, you should seriously consider getting an Order of Protection from the court. This can be done through a municipal or Superior Court. With your lawyer, you complete a Petition for Order of Protection at one of the computers at the court house. From here, the petition is handed over to the Clerk of the Court who will then instruct you to which courtroom you should proceed.

In this courtroom, a judge will read your petition and either grant or deny an Order of Protection. When granted, the court prohibits your spouse from any having contact with you. This oftentimes includes going to your place of residence and place of employment. You can also ask the court to prohibit your spouse from contacting you by phone, email, or even social media. The Order of Protection will be served to your spouse by a law enforcement official. This order is in effect for one year from the date the judge signs it.

However, an Order of Protection is not a complete guarantee of your safety. Your spouse can still choose to break the law by contacting you via phone or showing up at your home or place you work. For this reason, it’s important to contact a personal security consultant to further explore how you can protect yourself during a divorce in Arizona.

How to Emotionally Protect Yourself During a Divorce

Going through a divorce can be an emotionally stressful time. That’s why it is important to remain as emotionally balanced as possible. It is always a good idea to seek out the help of a professional and qualified mental health counselor who can help you achieve this balance. He or she might recommend medication to help you through this tough time. Seeking out help for anxiety, depression or stress will in no way impact your court proceedings. There is no judgment by the court for pursuing this kind of help. On the contrary, this is seen as a responsible action on your part, and judges are very understanding when it comes to the stress that getting a divorce causes.

How to Financially Protect Yourself During a Divorce

Once your divorce is completed, you can expect to gain half of what you had before you filed for divorce. This means that all assets, debts, and money in the bank will be divided equally between you and your spouse. However, going from a two income household to a one income household means you will have less money, in general, after the divorce. There is also child support and spousal support to take into consideration. Depending upon whom is paying whom, this could help or hurt you. For this reason, it’s important to establish a budget that will break down how you will support yourself after the divorce is final.

You may have no issues when it comes to supporting yourself during or after a divorce, or you may need to seek out help from friends and family. It’s also important to finalize an agreement with your spouse to pay off all unsecured debt, like credit cards. In some cases, selling your home or another asset may be required to do this. Overall, your goal should be to eliminate all financial ties to your spouse during the divorce so there are no loose ends once the divorce is finalized. This will also help your financial future by protecting your credit score if your spouse does not meet financial obligations concerning shared debt.

To learn more about protecting yourself during a divorce in Arizona, contact the Sampair Group in Arizona at 623-777-3926 today.