Pre-Divorce Strategy Advising, conducted by attorneys Danielle Shelton Walczak and Beth Barbosa, is for individuals who voluntarily or involuntarily may go through a divorce with difficult financial and/or child custody issues in the immediate or distant future. This service provides planning, education, and strategic advice to individuals prior to divorce filings in four distinct phases.
Phase One is an overview of the complete divorce process, including complete estimated costs of the process, and discussion on how, given your current economic circumstances you can begin to gather funds to afford an attorney and the divorce process as a whole.
Phase Two involves advising you as to financial information and documents you'll need to have going into any future divorce. We will discuss with you how to go about getting those documents based on your individual circumstances. We will also advise you as to the myriad of options and legal instruments available to you, if applicable, to safeguard your personal and business assets from the divorce. We will make direct referrals to attorneys capable of drafting those documents.
Phase Three is a discussion about custody and parenting time issues. We discuss in depth legal custody designations, parenting time and schedules, and the ins-and-outs of child support calculations. We provide strategies to you to gather evidentary support for your attorney to argue for the parenting time that is best for your child, based on the involvement of the parents while married. We also dive into the purpose and role of the custody evaluator, necessary experience requirements, the pro's and con's of attorney and non-attorney custody evaluators, and the estimated costs of their services.
Phase Four you are told of the adverse tactical maneuvers of divorce that you may face in the future, such as closed bank accounts and credit cards, or failure to pay familial expenses. We then provide strategies and resources as to how an you can minimize the financial, emotional, and mental impact of such maneuvers allowing you to effectively continue to work and trust your attorney.
With the exception of Phase Four, you will be provided a brief questionnaire to complete prior to the appointment, so we may gain necessary information to make your time with us pointed and productive. After each Phase, you will be provided tangible documentation outlining the process and/or specific tasks to complete to implement the strategies discussed, or attorney referrals.
Requirements
Phase One is a requirement before any individual can go onto any or all of Phases Two through Four. Phases Two through Four can be taken in any order.
Costs
Each Phase is charged at a flat fee rate and lasts from anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Phase fees vary. For more information about costs and the amount of time for each phase please call the office at 612-851-0996.
How is this Different than having a Consult with an Attorney
An consult with a divorce attorney is usually 45-60 minutes in length. During that time, the attorney only gives you a very general view of the divorce process, gets minimal information about your current financial situation and potential custody issues while in the meeting, and is working toward you becoming a client.
With Pre-Divorce Strategy Advising we will not litigate your case. Therefore, we are not concerned with you becoming a client of ours. Nor are we concerned as to when you may want to file for divorce, if ever.
Pre-Divorce Strategy Advising's goal is preparing you for any divorce proceeding. Pre-Divorce Strategy Advising is a very in depth preparation and education process that can total more than 6 hours of advice on how to finance your attorney's time and your divorce, and protect assets and gather information prior to any divorce filing. This strategy advising will actually save you money during the process, and protect you from emotional and financial ruin because of a divorce.
Phase One is an overview of the complete divorce process, including complete estimated costs of the process, and discussion on how, given your current economic circumstances you can begin to gather funds to afford an attorney and the divorce process as a whole.
Phase Two involves advising you as to financial information and documents you'll need to have going into any future divorce. We will discuss with you how to go about getting those documents based on your individual circumstances. We will also advise you as to the myriad of options and legal instruments available to you, if applicable, to safeguard your personal and business assets from the divorce. We will make direct referrals to attorneys capable of drafting those documents.
Phase Three is a discussion about custody and parenting time issues. We discuss in depth legal custody designations, parenting time and schedules, and the ins-and-outs of child support calculations. We provide strategies to you to gather evidentary support for your attorney to argue for the parenting time that is best for your child, based on the involvement of the parents while married. We also dive into the purpose and role of the custody evaluator, necessary experience requirements, the pro's and con's of attorney and non-attorney custody evaluators, and the estimated costs of their services.
Phase Four you are told of the adverse tactical maneuvers of divorce that you may face in the future, such as closed bank accounts and credit cards, or failure to pay familial expenses. We then provide strategies and resources as to how an you can minimize the financial, emotional, and mental impact of such maneuvers allowing you to effectively continue to work and trust your attorney.
With the exception of Phase Four, you will be provided a brief questionnaire to complete prior to the appointment, so we may gain necessary information to make your time with us pointed and productive. After each Phase, you will be provided tangible documentation outlining the process and/or specific tasks to complete to implement the strategies discussed, or attorney referrals.
Requirements
Phase One is a requirement before any individual can go onto any or all of Phases Two through Four. Phases Two through Four can be taken in any order.
Costs
Each Phase is charged at a flat fee rate and lasts from anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Phase fees vary. For more information about costs and the amount of time for each phase please call the office at 612-851-0996.
How is this Different than having a Consult with an Attorney
An consult with a divorce attorney is usually 45-60 minutes in length. During that time, the attorney only gives you a very general view of the divorce process, gets minimal information about your current financial situation and potential custody issues while in the meeting, and is working toward you becoming a client.
With Pre-Divorce Strategy Advising we will not litigate your case. Therefore, we are not concerned with you becoming a client of ours. Nor are we concerned as to when you may want to file for divorce, if ever.
Pre-Divorce Strategy Advising's goal is preparing you for any divorce proceeding. Pre-Divorce Strategy Advising is a very in depth preparation and education process that can total more than 6 hours of advice on how to finance your attorney's time and your divorce, and protect assets and gather information prior to any divorce filing. This strategy advising will actually save you money during the process, and protect you from emotional and financial ruin because of a divorce.