Pop quiz time, Milwaukee: Can you be “too nice” during a divorce?

Thanks for checking back in on our divorce and family law blog. In this day and age, many people in and around Milwaukee are facing very important issues regarding things like divorce, child support, child custody and spousal maintenance. It is important to be informed about these social factors, so hopefully this blog proves to be a useful source to you for information and news relevant to these areas.

A good thing to address in this post might be the desire many of us in Wisconsin have to, if we are going to divorce, be kind and understanding about it. This is certainly a commendable goal because the less acrimony there is in our society, the better off we will all be.

That being said, it is crucial that you understand that amicably divorcing does not mean you will never have to stand up for yourself or that you should feel bad about taking a stand if and when it becomes necessary. You are negotiating with someone whom you once loved and once shared a life with, so sometimes it is hard to be your best advocate.

A good family law attorney, however, will not let you get taken advantage of. A lawyer who has helped clients through divorce before understands it is an emotional time and will respectfully and tactfully usher you through the process. A third party, like an attorney, can make sure that your soon-to-be-ex spouse doesn’t capitalize on your history together (either intentionally or unintentionally) and will not let you allow your emotions to get the best of you. Having such an advocate can be a very important asset during what is often an emotionally taxing time.

Source: Reuters, “Divorce mistakes you can make by being too nice,” Geoff Williams, June 26, 2012