If there is one certainty about divorce, it is that there are no certainties about divorce. Even in cases where both Louisiana spouses agree that ending their marriage is the right thing to do, things often do not go as planned. In the worst cases, one spouse becomes angry and takes an aggressive stance toward the other, up to and including restricting the other spouse’s access to the marital funds that are needed to initiate and complete the divorce process.
In order to open a divorce case, most spouses will contract the services of a family law attorney. This requires an initial investment. Making that investment can be a challenge if one’s spouse closes down a shared account or removes one’s name from lines of credit and other financial resources.
The best way to protect against these types of actions is to take a proactive approach. This will mean different things to different people, but in general, spouses should take steps to set aside funding for both their legal needs and their living expenses. When doing so, it is important to be careful to avoid taking any action that could be deemed as depleting marital wealth. Spouses who remove funds or create a separate account must be sure to leave sufficient funds for the other spouse to use as he or she sees fit.
In order to both secure financial security and avoid claims of improper use of marital funds, Louisiana spouses should consult with a family law attorney prior to making any major financial changes. Those conversations can be had during a consultation with an attorney at a minimal expense. While many spouses will not end up needing to safeguard funding for their divorce process, others will certainly wish that they had done so, if events take an unexpected turn for the worse.
Source: finance.yahoo.com, “How to keep from losing everything in a divorce, in 6 steps“, Emmie Martin, Feb. 1, 2017