Oklahoma divorce information

Sometimes things don’t always work out as planned with your divorce attorney. But just because you’ve retained someone doesn’t mean you’re stuck with them.

If you’re unhappy with your Tulsa divorce attorney, you can easily fire him or her and hire a new one.

Reasons to Fire a Tulsa Divorce Attorney

There are a number of reasons why you may choose to fire your Tulsa divorce attorney.

A serious personality clash, your attorney’s repeated failure to respond to your calls or e-mails, or if you suspect they are drawing out the case to increase the bill are all reasons you may want to rid yourself of your attorney.

You may also want to fire your attorney if you suspect they are incompetent.

How to Fire Your Tulsa Divorce Attorney

First, read your retainer agreement with your Tulsa divorce attorney, which should detail how to end the relationship. Also, request a copy of your most recent bill and ask for copies of your records. Ensure that the bill accurately reflects work your attorney has done.

If you are satisfied with the bill’s accuracy, pay the amount owed, collect your attorney’s files on your case, and separate from your attorney in accordance with the retainer agreement.

Low-cost Initial Consultation: Tulsa Divorce Attorney

The Tulsa divorce lawyer at Divorce of Tulsa Law Office offers low-cost consultations so that you can get your questions answered and begin the process of filing for a divorce if you decide that is what you would like to do.

To schedule your initial, no-obligation consultation, call 918-924-5526.

All Tulsa divorces go through family court, which streamlines the Oklahoma divorce process as much as possible.

Although nowadays divorce is routine, there are still strict requirements you must follow in order to obtain your divorce.

Also, if your divorce involves more complicated matters, such as hidden assets and questions of marital property, your Oklahoma divorce process will require a higher level of legal expertise.

Starting the Oklahoma Divorce Process

The first step to starting the Oklahoma divorce process is to file your Petition for Divorce in the Tulsa County District Court.

Your petition will include the names of the parties, date of the marriage, and requests for child support or alimony, if applicable.

Your petition will ultimately notify the court of these issues:

1) that you seek a dissolution of your marriage

2) the grounds for the divorce

3) how you seek to divide property

4) any other relief you seek, such as child custody or support.

Serving Your Spouse

The Oklahoma divorce process requires that the petition is hand delivered to your spouse. In Tulsa, this is called personal service of process.

Personal service of process allows the court to make a legal decision involving your spouse–this is called personal jurisdiction.

You, yourself, cannot personally serve your spouse. It must be done through the sheriff’s department or a private process server.

If you have attempted to have your spouse personally served, but do not know where he or she works or lives and he is evading service, you can have them served by publication. This means that you can publish a notice of the divorce petition in certain local newspapers.

The notice must run for three consecutive weeks. Once that three weeks is up, the court will have personal jurisdiction over your spouse and can issue the divorce.

Note, however, that if you have to serve your spouse by publication, the court cannot decide any issues of child support, alimony, or custody. The court can only issue a divorce.

Get Temporary Orders in Place

A court will likely order that some temporary orders be put in place while a couple is separated, but before the divorce is finalized.

The temporary order can be related to spousal support, child support, child custody, and visitation.

Both parties can ask the judge for what they reasonably believe to be necessary in terms of support and custody.

Mediation in the Oklahoma Divorce Process

Courts have a strong interest in preventing family law cases from going to trial, since many family law issues are a simple matter of two parties coming to an agreement.

Courts will therefore order parties to attend mediation where they can negotiate issues of alimony, division of property, child support, custody, and visitation.

The goal of mediation is to allow the court to enter an order based on what the parties have agreed to, instead of going through more time consuming litigation and trial.

Low-cost Initial Consultation: Tulsa Divorce Attorney

If you are considering seeking a divorce, a Tulsa divorce attorney has the knowledge and experience to assist you with every aspect of your Oklahoma divorce process.

The Divorce of Tulsa Law Office offers low-cost consultations so that you can get your questions answered and begin the process of filing for a divorce if you decide that is what you would like to do.

To schedule your initial, no-obligation consultation, call 918-924-5526.

Getting a divorce can be an emotionally draining and even physically exhausting process.

Although you should take time to recover, you may eventually want to start dating after divorce in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

If you feel you are truly ready to hit the dating scene again, follow these helpful tips and advice.

Seek Counseling Before Dating After Divorce in Tulsa

Divorce can leave you with low self-esteem, confusion about who you now are, and self-doubt.

It’s important to deal with these issues, which can impact your ability to trust others or build a healthy relationship with anyone else.

A counselor can help you to develop the tools to reclaim yourself once again and take healthy strides into the world of dating after divorce in Tulsa.

Even if you cannot afford professional psychiatric counseling, speaking to a trusted family member, friends, or church support group can be very beneficial, as well.

Try New Things

Dating is often comprised of finding people who share common interests. However, if you’ve been stuck in a rut for the past few years or have put your life on pause while going a divorce in Oklahoma, you may have forgotten what you even like to do.

Joining meet-up groups or taking new classes can not only introduce you to new activities, but new people as well. Post-divorce life can enable you to try things you’ve never done before.

So sign up for yoga, hiking groups, cooking classes, traveling, or anything else you’ve always had on your bucket list and be sure to introduce yourself to new people along the way.

Make Yourself Over Before Dating After Divorce in Tulsa

Moving onto new relationships may also mean moving onto a new you.

Getting a new haircut, buying a few new date night outfits, and getting into shape can give you the confidence boost you need to meet new people and start dating after divorce in Tulsa.

Get a “Wing-man”

If hitting the dating scene is too scary, consider waiting a while until you are truly ready to date again.

But, if you’re just nervous to head out alone, enlist the help of a single friend to go out with you. Having someone else there will make the dating scene less intimidating.

But, if lurking in bars just isn’t your thing, join an online dating website.

However, make sure you meet in a public place and tell your wing-man exactly where you plan on going if you meet up with someone from the internet.

Low-cost Initial Consultation: Tulsa Divorce Attorney

If you’re uncertain of how to start over or have questions about finalizing your divorce, a Tulsa divorce lawyer can ensure that all of your legal loose ends are tied together before you invite someone new into your life.

The Divorce of Tulsa Law Office offers low-cost consultations to discuss your legal issues.

Call 918-924-5526 to schedule your appointment today.

The end of a divorce can be bittersweet as you may feel sadness that the end of a chapter is over, while also experiencing hope for the future.

Before you completely move on, though, there are a few steps you should take once your Oklahoma divorce decree is final.

If you’ve recently finalized your divorce in Tulsa, contact an experienced divorce attorney who can ensure that you tie up any legal loose ends before you start on the journey ahead of you.

What’s In Your Oklahoma Divorce Decree

A divorce decree is the official document signifying that your divorce is over and must be signed by a judge.

The divorce decree will address all of the issues within the divorce, including but not limited to, alimony payments, child support, visitation, property division, and child custody.

An Oklahoma divorce decree may even include very situation-specific language, such as dates when a spouse is to collect his or her things from the marital home.

Understand Your Divorce Decree

Because the divorce decree is to specify how all of the marital issues are to be handled, it is imperative that you take time to read closely, and carefully, all the terms in it.

Do not assume that something you do not understand will work itself out or won’t matter.

Therefore, read your Oklahoma divorce decree and make a list of everything that’s in it, including things you don’t understand.

If you have questions at all contact a divorce attorney immediately and either have him clarify it for you or ask that the court clarify a term immediately.

This is also true if you notice any mistakes, big or small.

Getting the terms of your child support, child custody, visitation, or alimony changed can be very difficult, which is why it is important that anything that needs to be changed is immediately brought to the court’s attention.

Make a To-Do List

Once you are certain your Oklahoma divorce decree accurately reflects the agreement between you and your ex, make a list of all of the things both parties must do, including frequency and dates.

If, for example, the decree requires you to take the children to basketball practice every second Tuesday, make a note.

Often, divorce will require parties to get into new routines and failing to abide by the decree can land you back in front of the court for contempt.

This list should also include dates any child support or alimony payments are due, as well as dates you must take the children to visitation.

Tie Up Loose Ends

If you’ve taken your spouse’s last name, now is the time to get your name changed, especially if it’s in your Oklahoma divorce decree.

Gather the requsite documents and begin the process of changing your name on your driver’s license and other important documents.

You may also need to change your wills and remove your ex as the executor or beneficiary of your policies, if you no longer want them to have those roles.

Seek Counseling

Counseling may be necessary for both parties and even the children, especially if the divorce was drawn out and painful.

Therefore, incorporate counseling into your process of moving on.

This does not have to take the form of a professional therapist, but can be a church or community support group.

If your children are in school, consider reaching out to the school for options for them.

Low-cost Initial Consultation: Tulsa Divorce Lawyer

If you and your spouse have decided to obtain a divorce, a Tulsa divorce attorney has the experience and expertise to guide and represent you throughout every aspect of filing for and obtaining a divorce, including issues involving reviewing the final decree.
Call the

If you think divorce in Tulsa, Oklahoma will just be a rational and logical matter of dividing assets and determining which days your ex gets the kids, think again.

Divorce can be a nasty attempt of trying to hurt the other person, trying to get all you can, and make the other person look as bad as possible in front of the judge.

Read the following to avoid common mistakes made during divorce, in order to protect yourself and get the best possible outcome.

Posting Too Much Information on Social Media

The best advice anybody going through a divorce can take is to stay off of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If absolutely necessary, limit your use to professional purposes only.

Not only should you stay off of social media, you should also consider deleting your accounts all together. This is because your ex will likely attempt to find “dirt” on you, which can affect the judge’s perception of you.

Consider a situation where you are seeking alimony from your spouse because you do not have money to support yourself or your family on your own. If your ex finds pictures of you on vacation post-separation, this could negate any argument that your financial situation is as bleak as you paint it.

Or, a vengeful ex may find multiple photos of you drinking in bars and attempt to argue that she should have custody because you are more interested in partying than raising children.

Never assume that just because your ex is blocked means that information won’t get back to him. Mutual friends may share it or a judge may even subpoena your social media accounts. Therefore, do yourself a favor and stay off of social media.

Not Listening to Your Attorney’s Advice

Your attorney will give you a lot of advice to follow not just in your case, but in your personal life as well. Because divorces often hinge on a lot of personal information, your attorney may give you advice you should follow in your personal life.

Even if you don’t understand the connection between your attorney’s advice and your pending divorce, not listening to him can cause significant problems down the line in unexpected ways.

Not only will your attorney advise you in your personal life during a divorce, they may also instruct you to bring documents and attend certain court appearances.

Not getting information to your attorney or failing to appear in court can have seriously adverse affects on your case; this is one of the most common mistakes made during divorce.

Not Sharing Information with your Attorney

Keeping secrets from your attorney can not only put them in difficult legal situations, but may lead to their decision not to represent you if you choose to keep material secrets from them.

For example, if you choose not to disclose financial information, drug use, alcohol use, abuse, or anything else about yourself to your attorney, they may not be able to adequately argue on your behalf if blindsided in court.

They may also decide not to represent you if you are not upholding your end of the bargain by allowing them to fully and competently do their job for you.

Agreeing to Unjust Settlements

Often times, one spouse may appear to have more power than the other and will intimidate their ex by telling them that this is “the best they can get.” Or a spouse may be emotionally drained and will do anything to get the divorce over with.

This is especially true if one spouse is unrepresented.

In these situations, parties often agree to settlements that do not represent the best deal possible for them in terms of child support, custody, visitation, alimony, or property division.

If your attorney is proposing settlement terms and you are unrepresented, contact an attorney immediately.

Once you agree to terms and they are incorporated into a divorce decree, you will find that it is very difficult to change.

Dating Too Soon – One of the Common Mistakes Made During Divorce

Even if a judge shouldn’t “punish” one spouse for allegations of infidelity when considering issues of child custody, visitation, alimony, or child support.

However, if you start dating while you’re still married, your spouse may argue that you can’t be trusted, don’t have time, or have more money than you’ve let on.

At a minimum, move out before you bring another into your life.

Low-cost Initial Consultation: Tulsa Divorce Attorney

Avoiding these common mistakes during divorce can be the difference between a fair settlement and one that leaves you short in the end.

It’s, therefore wise that you consult with an experienced attorney that knows the many ways an Oklahoma divorce settlement agreement could go.

He or she can help you determine whether your inheritance is separate or marital property.

If you and your spouse have decided to obtain a divorce, a Tulsa divorce attorney has the experience and expertise to guide and represent you throughout every aspect of filing for and obtaining a divorce.