Once you’re divorced, you may feel that the terms of the divorce are no longer suitable for your life or family situation. For instance, you may have experienced income changes at your job, or your children may be older and require more of your income for their care. If your divorce order needs to be adjusted, it’s important to speak with an Arizona lawyer about the changes that should be made.
Modifying your divorce order
If you and your ex agree on the changes that need to occur in your divorce order, you can bring the order to court so it can be adjusted without much hassle. Your lawyer will help you draft a revised agreement and will file the proposed new order with the court. However, if you want certain changes and your ex-spouse doesn’t, or vice versa, you could enter into another legal battle. Working with a qualified lawyer can help to minimize conflict.
Proving a change in your circumstances
If you and your ex are not able to resolve your disagreement over the amended divorce order outside of court, you should make sure you have a divorce attorney representing you at the court hearing. You must prove that significant changes have taken place in your life that call for a modification in the divorce order. For instance, if you’ve had to take a pay cut at work and cannot pay as much child support as you used to or you’re going to be moving a significant distance from your children due to a work reassignment, you have to verify this in court. The court will also need to know if you’ve received a significant raise at work. If your children aren’t being properly supervised when they are with the other parent, the court needs to be aware of this as well.
Consulting with a divorce attorney throughout each phase of the divorce order modification can make the amendment process easier and more efficient. Normally, this isn’t the sort of issue you want to tackle without legal assistance.