It's time you contacted a Baton Rouge family law attorney if you’re considering divorced and feel like it's going to be acrimonious. Even though it might be expected from law firms that a divorce is likely contentious, even amicable ones need legal representation to help you through the complexities of divorce and family law. In family law, though, it's expected that situations are going to arise that could cause some controversy. One such situation we encounter here at The Layfield Law Firm, LLC is when a divorced spouse starts dating in the middle of divorce negotiations.
How will this affect things in the long run when we represent you during a divorce and in working with family law?
How Dating During a Divorce Used to Work
In a different era, it's possible that if you dated during a divorce, you could be cited for adultery. It's true dating before a divorce is finalized could still be a tricky legal problem. Nevertheless, that legal move doesn't typically happen today. Now, most couples are concerned about how dating will affect negotiations when working out child custody and other private issues. While working out divorce related issues is possible, it makes it much more difficult to negotiate when one spouse is angry over the other spouse having someone move in with them already.
What are the repercussions from the court if you decide to date before the divorce is officially approved?
Custody Decisions from a Judge
When the judge deciding child custody and other issues studies your background, your dating life might affect a lot more than you think. Generally, dating should not have a great effect on your case as long as the new relationship is not negatively impacting the children. However, the judge may think you're not a suitable parent dating this early, and this could alter how much time you spend with your child or children. In fact, primary custody may go to the other parent if other egregious issues happen to be evident in addition to your current relationship.
Overall, dating before a divorce is final is something we discourage. If you happen to be dating someone, it's best to tell that person to hold off on moving in with you until the divorce is official. While you may try to hide it, evidence may still get out and hurt your chances at having an amicable resolution.
Most of all, we want you to think of the welfare of your children. They should always come first, and they may not be happy about your dating so soon.
These are issues we'll help you with here at The Layfield Law Firm, LLC. Contact us and we'll help you through the entire divorce process and educate you on family law. As much as we'll help you, you also need to help yourself in doing the right thing for your children.