Are you planning to file divorce papers? Whether you anticipate a contested or an uncontested divorce, it’s a good idea to prepare a few questions to ask an attorney during your initial consultation.
Ironically, more people file for divorce in February than any other month throughout the year. While people tend to marry and divorce more often in the western states, the south isn’t far behind. Interesting to note is that the lowest marriage and divorce rates are within the northeast section of the United States.
While there are a variety of reasons why people decide to file for divorce, some are more common than others. In the United States, for example, there are several priimary reasons:
- Communication problems
- Infidelity or betrayal
- Financial problems
- Abuse
- Loss of interest
In Norway, however, household chores appear to have a direct impact on divorce rates. According to a Norwegian study that was released in 2012, when couples divide housework, their marriage is more likely to end in divorce. The study found that divorce rates were almost twice as high than housework was divided than when the wife handled all of the housework.
Occupations can also influence whether or not couples remain married. It’s interesting to note that individuals in these professions are more likely to file for a divorce:
- Sales people
- Optometrists
- Podiatrists
- Nuclear engineers
- Agricultural engineers
When people marry when they’re older, have advanced degrees, and earn higher salaries, they are more likely to have a longer marriage. While the prevailing belief used to be that living together before marriage pointed to a strong possibility of divorce, it no longer appears to be so. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study in 2012 that living together prior to marriage wasn’t a strong predictor any longer.
Since you will most likely have quite a few questions to ask your divorce lawyer, it’s important to prioritize these for your initial consultation. After the divorce papers have been filed, your divorce attorney will continue to provide you with counsel throughout the process.
If you have children, then you will also want to discuss custody issues, visitation rights, and child support with your attorney. This is important to do even when you have an uncontested divorce because you want to ensure that your children’s well-being is addressed.
