Your Divorce Is Finally Over...Not So Fast

Phew! Your long, expensive, and difficult divorce is finally over, now you can rest easy...not so fast. In New Jersey, once a divorce is finalized and a Judgment of Divorce issued by the court, there may still be some very important issues that remain and deserve attention. After all, the parties just endured what most likely was a very difficult process, certainly no one would want to jeopardize any issues by failing to ensure that everything was done correctly. For instance, all court documents should be reviewed for accuracy to make sure that any mistakes, however small, are found. If a party discovers any mistakes in any court documents that party should immediately contact his or her attorney to make sure that the mistake is remedied as soon as possible. In most cases, a property settlement agreement and/or custody and parenting time agreement will be affixed to a Final Judgment of Divorce. These documents are of paramount importance because they are a guide to the parties' division of property, child support obligation, parenting time schedule, and any other specific details regarding child custody. Therefore, even though a divorce may be finalized, it is critical that a party review these documents to ensure they are completely correct - as their contents will dramatically affect the lives of all of the parties involved in the divorce. In addition, parties should make sure that other marital documents such as real estate deeds, wills, and trusts are properly amended to reflect that the parties are no longer legally joined. Once again, these changes should be made immediately upon the issuance of the Judgment of Divorce. Further, in some cases, names on Social Security cards, licenses, registrations, and titles to vehicles need to be changed. An experienced attorney can help the party to ensure that all of these necessary changes are properly made. Each party will receive only one original with the court's seal, it is advised that parties also obtain multiple copies of the certified Final Judgment of Divorce. Many entities such as government agencies, insurance companies, and banks will need copies of the certified Final Judgment of Divorce before they carry out certain provisions in the property settlement and custody agreements. If you are involved in a divorce it is critical that you obtain the services of an experienced family law attorney to assist you through the process and attend to the preparation of documents both during and after the divorce. For more information about contested divorce, custody, visitation, parenting time, alimony or other family law matters in New Jersey visit HeatherDarlingLawyer.com and NJCivilUnionLaw.com. This blog is for informational purposes and in no way intended to replace the advice of an attorney.