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Divorce Complications That The Length Of Your Marriage Can Bring

How Your Marriage Age Can Affect The Divorce Process?

Divorce always seems to be complicated, but it can become even more complicated if you have been married for a very long time. Personally, there is a lot of history to dismantle and a lot of emotional baggage to process. You have long-time friends with whom you will need to navigate new relationships. You will lose family members, and you’ll have to develop new family traditions. It will take a long time for you to truly dissolve your marriage and all the ties you shared.

But even in legal terms, a divorce can become more complicated if you have been married a long time. Working with a good divorce attorney will help you understand all the legal ramifications and how to approach them. However, here are a few things you need to know:

A couple with a long marriage signing divorce papers in Tucson, AZ.

Equitable Distribution Of Property & Assets

In Arizona, the law calls for marital assets to be divided evenly in a divorce in most cases. The idea is that you have shared your income and your assets, and that you have purchased property and built wealth together. Even if you weren’t both working, the idea is that you shared these things, and so you have equal rights to them in divorce.

There are many exceptions, of course. One exception may be if you have been married a long time. Generally speaking, the longer you were married, the more likely a judge will be to award an unequal distribution of property. The judge will look at things like whether you both worked and how much income you made. If one party had a much higher income or worked while the other didn’t, the party making less money would likely get a greater division of property to ensure more even financial footing after the divorce.

It is especially important to work with a reputable, experienced Gilbert divorce attorney if you are divorcing after being married a long time. There are too many variables that can come into play when determining your settlement, and there is too much at stake. A good divorce attorney can give you a greater chance of getting a greater share of your marital assets.

Increasing Complexity Of Marital Assets

The other issue that comes into play for divorce settlements after longer marriages is that these couples tend to have a more complex portfolio of assets. Through their many years of marriage, these couples are likely to have accumulated more – real estate, vehicles, jewelry, high-end furniture, art, stocks, investment accounts, retirement plans, and more. The more assets there are between the couple, the more complex the divorce proceedings will be while both sides fight over who deserves what and why.

With more complex assets, there is much less likely to be a simple ruling, like in a 50/50 division. Settlements in these cases are more likely to include precise divisions, such as granting one party a share of the house while the other gives up the whole of a stock portfolio, and so on. The more complex the portfolio of assets, the more intense the negotiations will be and the longer it will case for a settlement to be reached.

Divorce is never easy, but it is even harder when you have been married a very long time and you are trying to unravel the emotional and financial ties that bind. You have a lot to lose in such cases, such it is imperative that you work with a great Tucson divorce attorney who can help you understand all your rights and who will fight to get you the best divorce settlement possible.

Hire a Qualified Divorce Lawyer In Tucson

The divorce attorneys at My AZ Lawyers are ready to help you if you are preparing to divorce or you have been notified by your spouse of an impending divorce action. Our experienced divorce attorneys are fierce advocates for our clients, and they are ready to pursue every legal option to help you get the divorce settlement that you deserve. We can also help you fight to get the child custody agreement that is best for your family, and we can fight to help you get child support and spousal support. Contact us in Tucson today to schedule a consultation with a divorce attorney and learn more about your legal options.