Even under the best of circumstances, with both spouses agreeing that the marriage is over, as well as agreeing on custody and financial issues, divorce can still be difficult. When a person is divorcing a narcissist, those difficulties are more complex and often end up turning into a high-conflict divorce.

High-conflict divorces are notoriously more expensive, long, and drawn-out as the narcissist turns the process into an emotional and financial roller coaster, refusing to cooperate and putting up roadblocks to a peaceful resolution every step of the way. The divorce process is often the last breath of control the narcissist spouse has on the other spouse and he or she may hold onto that control until the very end.

Mental Health Impact

Tragically, there is an enormous emotional impact that a high-conflict divorce has on not only the spouse but also the children. Everyone can suffer from greater levels of anxiety and depression as the narcissist bombards their family with anger, disrespectful communication, and refusal to cooperate in any type of meaningful negotiation.

One of the most overlooked financial areas for people who are in the process of getting divorced is estate planning. Most people become so focused on child custody, child support, spousal support, and division of assets, that drawing up a new estate plan gets lost way down on the bottom of their to-do list. But failing to update or create a new estate plan can be disastrous for your family should something happen to you.

Beneficiary Designations

There are likely multiple places where you have chosen your now ex-spouse as the beneficiary, including annuity funds, pensions, IRAs, life insurance policies, and other financial accounts. Although some of these accounts may have been involved in the divorce asset distribution and no longer have your ex’s name as beneficiary, other documents, like life insurance policies, will need to be changed. There have been many cases where a person has failed to change the beneficiary, remarried, and passed away, and had funds go to their ex-spouse, not their current spouse.

Wills

If you have a will in place that leaves everything to your ex, you will want to make sure to have a new will drawn up with new heirs. If you named your spouse as executor of your estate, make sure to change that, as well.

When a person is going through a divorce, there are myriad emotions they can find themselves dealing with. A person may feel a sense of relief and freedom that they are finally free of a negative and toxic relationship one day and the next feel sad and lonely that they no longer have a partner to deal with life with, even if the relationship was a rocky one.

In today’s world, social media has become an integral part of many people’s lives and all of those roller-coaster emotions are often shared on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media accounts. Unfortunately, all that sharing can have a significant impact on issues that need to be decided by the court, such as child custody, spousal support, and more. In fact, in one major survey of divorce attorneys, more than 80 percent of lawyers said that they use social media to dig for evidence against their clients’ spouses. The following are some of the ways that social media posts can affect your divorce.

Child Custody

When divorcing parents cannot agree on how child custody and parenting time should be divided, the court will make that decision for them. This means both parties, usually through their attorneys, will present evidence and witness testimony to the court. The judge will decide what arrangement will be in the best interest of the child, based on that evidence.

Going through the divorce process can be confusing, even overwhelming at times. Although every divorce case has its unique factors, there are some basic rules/laws that apply to anyone who is filing for a divorce in Texas. Whether you and your spouse will be engaging in a friendly and simple divorce or you are facing complex, high-net-worth litigation, the following information is important to know.

Residency Requirement

Every state sets its own residency requirement for divorce. In Texas, one or both of the spouses must have lived in the state for at least six months prior to filing for divorce, and also have at least 90 days of residency in the county the action is being filed in.

Unlike many other states, there is no time period the couple must have lived apart before filing. In fact, the couple can still legally live under the same roof as the divorce proceedings are taking place.

Divorce can get ugly, especially when the couple has a high net worth. If the relationship between the two spouses has become contentious, then one or both may feel that they deserve the majority share of the marital estate, despite the fact that Texas follows the community property method of asset and property division in divorce. And although it may be tempting to take certain steps to ensure that you get the majority share, it could result in some serious sanctions by the court if those steps are discovered. The following are some of the things you should avoid in your high asset divorce.

“Shopping” for an Attorney

When you are going through a divorce, you want to make sure you have a skilled attorney advocating for your best interests. It is not uncommon – in fact, it is recommended – that you meet with a couple of attorneys to make sure that you find one that you are comfortable with and that is qualified to meet your legal needs. However, what is not acceptable is meeting with multiple attorneys in order to prevent your spouse from also retaining a qualified attorney.