Dallas Divorce Law Blog : Dallas Texas Divorce Lawyer & Attorney : O'Neil Anderson Law Firm : TX Child Support & Custody Issues

Dallas divorce attorneys are frequently asked by their clients how they can keep the costs of a divorce down.  Here are several tips to keep in mind:

1.  Begin tracking down all of your financial documents.  In almost every divorce case your attorney will need to see copies of your bank and savings account information as well as your 401K statements.  Getting a head start by gathering up this information can save you the time (expense) of having your attorney track down these documents.  It is also important to remember to gather up complete documents, not simply the cover page or summary page of the statements.  Your attorney will need the complete statements in order to effectively present the information to the other side. 

2.  Start making a list of all the property that you own.  Again, in almost all divorce cases each party will have to complete a document called an inventory and appraisal which lists all the property and liabilities each party has.  Getting a head start on gathering the information which goes in the inventory and appraisal can cut back on the amount of time your attorney has to spend preparing the inventory and appraisal.

3.  Communicate with your soon to be former spouse.  If at all possible (i.e. if your divorce is relatively uncontested) a lot of attorney time can be saved by negotiating the terms of the division of the property with your soon to be ex.  Although this may not be possible in every case, if there is a open line of communication available, use it to your advantage! 

Hat tip to Dick Price's blog for the idea behind this post. 

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Frequently I encounter clients in my Dallas divorce law firm that share common signs that their marriage has come to an end.  Here are the top five signs that a marriage is coming to an end.

1.  You dream about a life without your spouse.  It is not uncommon for us all to wonder “what if” during our day-to-day lives, but when you start thinking about how your life would be better without your spouse, you’ve definitely got a sign that your marriage is in trouble

2.  You keep things to yourself.  I’m surprised at how often clients come in and tell me that they simply quit communicating their needs and concerns to their spouse.  When your marriage has reached a point to where its not worth it to “bother” your spouse with your concerns and needs, this is another sign the marriage is in trouble.  Open communication is a key to any successful relationship, and holding things back from your spouse is quite unhealthy to the marriage. 

3.  You feel like you are the only person trying to make the marriage work.  If you feel that your spouse is not putting the same amount of effort into the marriage, then feelings of resentment and anger can really kick in.  Anger sometimes fuels people to make rash decisions, however the feeling of a lack of reciprocal effort is a definite sign the marriage is on rocky grounds. 

4.  You lack intimacy.  Sex is part of any healthy marriage.  If one spouse seems uninterested in sexual intimacy with the other, this is a sign the marriage is in trouble.  Even more so, if one spouse is withholding sex as a form of “revenge” then this too indicates a storm is brewing. 

5.  You feel like the bad in the marriage outweighs the good.  This one ties in closely with all the other signs.  If you feel there is more trouble in paradise, then there are some issues that need to be confronted. 

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Why Is There No Free Consultation with Dallas Divorce Lawyers?

Tarrant County divorce lawyer and blogger Dick Price recently posted a relevant article about initial consultations with divorce lawyers.  Frequently we are asked when a client first calls for information whether we provide a free consultation.  We charge a reduced flat fee for a consultation, less than our hourly rate, but enough to make sure the potential new client is serious in his inquiry.  Here are the reasons Dick Price lists for Divorce Lawyers in Dallas and other places to charge consultation fees:

• For the attorneys who charge by the hour, time is money. They keep their business open by charging for the time they spend working in some fashion on the client's problems. Real information is provided in real time to the client. For the attorney, the service provided is essentially the same type of service they will be providing once they are hired: listen, ask questions, determine needs or goals, gather information, analyze, strategize and create plans.
• Other professionals routinely charge for their time and services at an initial assessment. This includes doctors, mechanics and electricians (just to name a few). The time and skills of the professionals are being applied to the problems at hand.
• In addition, when an attorney meets with a prospective client, the attorney becomes immediately disqualified from representing the spouse. That can result in a loss of income for the attorney.
• Another consideration is that the attorney is unable to work on other clients' business when they are attending an initial meeting with a potential new client. That means less income for the attorney and no progress on the other client's issues. Even if it only delays the work, the delay can become a problem for the client and then the attorney. Most clients prefer not to be put on the back burner. They want their matter resolved NOW!
• In addition, busier attorneys will charge for the consultation. To not charge for the consultation would subject the attorneys to spending a lot of uncompensated time with the new client. Again, that prevents the attorney from being able to do significant work on other cases.

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