Is this the first time you are going through a divorce? You should know that couples use a wide range of dirty tricks to fight each other, and you might fall victim to them. Which tricks are these? Here they are:

Hoarding well-regarded lawyers

This is often common in high net worth cases. A divorcing spouse will find out about the most established and popular family lawyers and then hire them. They will then diverge just enough information about the divorce to each of the lawyers, and in the process, preclude the lawyers from being hired by their Ex later on.

You should start shopping for a lawyer as early as possible to avoid this. The best way to do it is to start scouting as soon as you are sure you can’t save your marriage.

Hiding assets

Here a spouse will rush to hide the assets obtained during the marriage so that they don’t share them with their ex. Different spouses hide their property in different ways, but the common one is transferring the property to close friends and relatives.

If they have a lot of money, they will try hiding it in offshore accounts.

To avoid falling victim to this trick, you should take an active role in knowing the number of assets you and your partner have. If you don’t have the skills to do it, hire a professional to help out.

In the event you suspect foul play, let the court know about it so that they can take the necessary action. In most cases, courts will impose harsh costs on the deceitful spouse, not to mention the spouse losing credibility.

Delaying the proceedings

You must have heard about couples that have been in the divorce process for years. This is a common practice, and most spouses do this to frustrate the other spouse and make them spend as much money as possible.

Different spouses use different tactics to delay the proceedings. Some will bring unnecessary motions, and change lawyers frequently, among many other things.

The best way to counter this is to arm yourself with a knowledgeable attorney that will call out your spouse and make them stop their tricks. It’s also wise to notify the court about your spouse’s scheme and ask them to protect you and hasten the process.

Spending as much money as possible

Plenty of cases have been reported where even the once honest spouses have gone out of control and acted out of character when they learn that they can’t save their marriage.

One of the most common out of character actions is going out on a shopping spree and buying as many items as possible.

As you can guess, these spouses will spend money from their joint or partner’s credit card.

Some of the popular ways they will spend money include traveling to exotic places, enrolling the kids in exorbitant lessons, buying expensive cars, furniture, etc.

Can you protect yourself from this?

Yes. The most effective way to do it is to close all of your joint credit cards and any other cards you don’t have control over.

In the event your spouse is a step ahead, let the court know about it, and they will be more than glad to compensate you.

Should you partake in any of the tricks?

While you can get away with some of the tricks, you should avoid them, as the repercussions are often grave. To be on the safe side, arm yourself with reputable and knowledgeable divorce lawyers Fairfax VA that will represent you in court and advise you on the right things to do and those to avoid.