Not telling your attorney everything
There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a hearing and having your attorney surprised by something you should have told them. The skeletons in your closet will eventually come out. You might as well tell your attorney before it costs you in court.
Not being civil with your soon to be ex-spouse
Demonstrations of anger, outbursts of frustration, and just plain rudeness looks very bad to the judge. It makes you look like the crazy one. Not only is it an issue in court, but even in general it puts everything at risk. If your child sees it, they may tell someone, and then you are alienating your child. At the very least it could cost you credibility with the court. At the very worst, it could get you into court ordered therapy for your anger issues.
Not recognizing everything is recorded
With the permanency of emails, text messages, and social media everything has a shelf life of forever. Before you put something in writing or take a video, ask yourself, “Would I want the Judge seeing or hearing this just before ruling on the custody of my minor children?” Consider every interaction, with your soon to be ex-spouse, is being recorded.
Not taking alienation seriously enough
Yes, we get it. You are mad at your soon to be ex-spouse. That doesn’t mean you should talk about the court proceedings with the minor children. Don’t talk about the case. Also, don’t speak poorly of your child’s other parent in front of the minor children. There is no quicker way to loss visitation, or even custody than alienating the minor children with your words or your actions.
Not writing all agreements down
Verbal agreements, and even poor written agreements, allow the parties to blur the lines. This can lead to more time in court and more legal expenses. Whenever there is an agreement reached, 1) put it in writing, 2) cover all of the topics, 3) be very specific. Not effectively writing agreements down, and filing them with the court, increases your risk of further litigation ten fold.
Author: Ciera N. Freeman