Lincolnton North Carolina Legal Blog

Now that the new year is here, people are trying to find ways that they can make improvements to better themselves. Making sure that your estate plan is in order can help with this by providing you with the peace of knowing that if something happens to you, your loved ones have a solid plan to follow.

Even if you have an estate plan, the start of the new year is a great time to review the contents and provisions to ensure that they accurately reflect what you want to happen when the plan comes into play. There are several things that you must consider whether you are updating or creating the estate plan.

Divorce cases can be handled through either mediation or litigation. The decision about which one of these to pursue is a difficult one for some people. There are several reasons why mediation is a better option for most people. These don't apply to cases that involve domestic violence or a narcissistic party because those cases are usually impossible to mediate.

One of the primary reasons to mediate is because you can get things handled faster. This gives you a chance to move on toward a more stable life. Not only can you benefit from this, but your children can also benefit. Going through litigation usually takes longer because you have to prepare for the trial, and you have to wait for a spot to open on the docket. This can take a while, depending on how congested it is at the time. It is also usually less expensive to go through mediation since you don't have the intense preparation or trial to go through.

There are a lot of things that happen when you decide that you are going to divorce your spouse. Once the petition is filed, you might decide to move on with your life. During this time, you might meet someone with whom you share a romantic connection. Unless the divorce is finalized, you have to be very careful at this point.

For some individuals, such as those who have children, dating during a divorce might cause more headaches than they realize. This is because the court might look into how the dating parent's behavior is impacting the children. The court must consider the best interests of the children when they are making decisions about the case. Dating could lead to adverse custody decisions.

The period that leads up to a divorce is often a very emotional time. Some spouses don't notice the toll that the situation is taking on each other until it is too late. There are quite a few common things that happen before a marriage ends that you can watch for in your marriage.

If you are having a rough time in your marriage, these are signs that you need to work on things. Failing to do so might lead to you heading toward divorce court.

• You can't come to agreements on important matters. While you might disagree on small things, such as where to put the sugar bowl, disagreeing on larger things like what school the children should attend can signal a big problem. Being unwilling to try to work things out, which often leads to withdrawing, can lead to disaster.
• You avoid conflict for fear of being single. You don't want to be alone so you conform to whatever your spouse wants. You lose your sense of self, which can't last forever. Once you realize what's happening, you will likely be ready to walk away.
• You aren't willing to let your partner know your feelings. Communication is a big part of marital success. If you feel you can't let your spouse know how you feel, the situation might be hopeless. Some individuals might only show their anger or discontent to their partner, which is a sign that things are over.