Imagine you have finalized your divorce agreement, signed off on a custody plan and moved into your own place. You are ready to move forward and put the divorce and all the related issues behind you.
Unfortunately, you may wind up with an unwelcome surprise, as legal issues can arise after divorce, requiring your attention. In order to prevent post-divorce issues from cropping up in the future — or to resolve them in a timely manner — it can be important to understand what these matters might look like.
Relocation and custody modifications
People move from time to time, whether it is for personal or professional reasons. If you or your ex plans to move and you share custody of children, then the relocating parent will need to secure permission before moving if it would affect your existing custody order.
Child support modifications
If you, your ex-spouse or your child experiences a significant shift in needs or capabilities, then you may need to adjust your child support orders. This could lead to an increase or decrease in payments, depending on the nature of the event.
Changes to spousal support
Numerous events might trigger termination or modification of spousal support in North Carolina, including a substantial change in circumstances such as job loss or an increase in income, death, or remarriage or cohabitation of the person receiving support.
Attempts to collect on a pre-divorce debt
You may have divided debts in your divorce agreement, but creditors can still come after you if your ex defaults and you did not take steps to protect yourself during the divorce process. This article from Fox Business has some tips on how to do this so that you can avoid financial liability for debts after divorce.
Putting post-divorce legal issues behind you
It may not be possible to avoid every post-divorce matter than may arise, but you can work with an experienced attorney to minimize conflict and future disputes by creating a comprehensive settlement and parenting plan. If an unexpected situation does arise after your divorce has been settled, you can work with your attorney to address it head-on so that you can resolve it and put it behind you as quickly and as fairly as possible.