Divorce FAQ

Have you ever tried to play tennis in a rainstorm? That’s what it can feel like trying to make informed and level-headed decisions about your future while going through a divorce. But the more information you have going in to your divorce, the more the skies clear, allowing the decisions you make for your future to be more intentional and clear. The following are some frequently asked questions about divorce to help you start thinking about the issues you will likely face. To get your specific questions answered, please do not hesitate to write to us directly or call the office at 203 908-3100 to schedule a free initial consultation with attorney Paul Ganim at Ganim Legal, P.C., in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

In Connecticut, there is a 90-day cooling off period from the time paperwork is filed until the time a divorce can be finalized. In cases where couples are able to agree, you can be divorced quickly. On other more complicated cases where no agreement is reached we can work to resolve through mediation or negotiation. More complex cases — high-asset divorces or divorces that must be litigated will take longer.

It can be tempting to try to save money by attempting to work out all aspects of your divorce settlement on your own. In cases in which the divorce is more or less amicable or there are few assets to divide and no children, your case may indeed be easier, but you will still need a lawyer to file the necessary paperwork. The risk in not using a lawyer, however, is that you will overlook a crucial element in the process and will end up spending time and money later to fix what an attorney familiar with family law issues could have done for you the first time around. So do it right the first time.

Children often end up in the middle of a divorce battle, despite parents’ best intentions. But at Ganim Legal, P.C., we will make sure that your divorce settlement prioritizes the best interests of your children. Depending on the circumstances of your divorce, you could end up with joint or sole physical custody of the children. If the other parent is given sole custody, however, you still have rights to visitation. A divorce settlement will also establish if one or both parents will maintain legal custody, which is the right to make important decisions about your children’s upbringing.

There is no standard answer to who gets the house after a divorce. Because Connecticut is an “equitable distribution” state, a judge can determine who keeps the house depending on what he or she deems to be most fair if the couple can’t come to a decision themselves. What is fair doesn’t always mean that the person whose name is on the mortgage is the one who gets the house. Both parties contribute in different ways, some pay the mortgage, or done home repairs etc, this is all taken into consideration. Some couples sell the marital property and divide the earnings; others balance the value of the house against other assets that must be divided, like retirement accounts or other investments.

You probably have plenty of your own questions about the specifics of your situation. We want to hear them. To get on the right track planning for your divorce, you can email us today or make an appointment for a free initial consultation at our Bridgeport, Connecticut, law firm by calling 203 908-3100.