Some spouses sail through the divorce process so seamlessly one may wonder why they even are splitting up. But then there are relationships so toxic that the acrimonious divorces are punctuated by the dirtiest of tricks.
You may think that your spouse would never sink so low, but it is better to be prepared than left adrift. Below are some of the dirtiest tricks in the divorce playbook, so be forewarned.
Conflicting the top family law attorneys in town
Once a divorce is inevitable, your spouse may schedule eight or 10 appointments with divorce attorneys in your area that enjoy good reputations as fighting hard for their clients. One by one, they meet and discuss the case, effectively creating a conflict with each should you decide to retain one to represent you.
When this happens, you will either need to settle for a second- or third-tier attorney to go toe-to-toe with your spouse’s big gun or will have to find an out-of-area attorney who will cost more for travel time and might not be as familiar with the local rules or the judges.
Transferring valuable assets offshore
While Switzerland is less of a tax haven than it has been in past decades, the doors are still wide open at banks in Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and the Isle of Man. One spouse might be secretly transferring liquid assets there before even raising the notion of divorce. Even when a judge orders offshore assets be divided, many banks are not bound by orders from foreign civil courts.
Firing the attorney just before trial
This is a notorious delay tactic because no judge is going to deny a new attorney some time to get up-to-speed on the case prior to trial. With the dockets crowded with other cases, this delay could be for months.
The best way to protect yourself in an Ohio divorce is to seek the counsel of an experienced and reliable family law attorney before taking any actions.