Breaking up is hard, especially so when it’s your partner asking for a divorce. If your partner has commenced divorce proceedings, there are naturally a few steps you should take in order to protect yourself, your health as well as to make the process as amicable and peaceful as possible.

It’s important to stay calm, understand your options and seek the best family lawyer Perth has available. With knowledge and the right representation on your side, you should be able to help make the process smooth and streamlined.

Here are six things to remember when your partner asks for a divorce:

1. Try to stay calm

Going through a divorce is one of the most emotional periods of anyone’s life. Naturally, you are going to be emotional, especially if there are kids and property involved in proceedings.

However, despite the pain and hardship of going through a divorce, it’s important to try and maintain a sense of calm. Sure, there may be many things you would like to say, but will they jeopardise your right to a fair divorce?

Typically, once divorce proceedings are underway there isn’t much going back, so you need to think about the bigger picture regarding what you stand to win as an outcome of the trial, and keeping calm and not saying regretful things is the best way to achieve this.

2. Educate yourself

You should educate yourself on the process of divorce. You and your partner may not need to go through the courts to complete the divorce, and instead could benefit from the less stressful mediation method.

The courts can be stressful for all parties involved, often involving more people than you really want or need to have involved. Therefore, it is good to educate yourself and know whether you really need to go through the court system.

3. Don’t agree to anything without consulting a lawyer

This is imperative. Your partner may have already enlisted a lawyer who has created a list of demands regarding the divorce - don’t sign anything without consulting your own lawyer.

The last thing you want to do is agree to any property division, custody, child or spousal arrangement without consulting an expert divorce or family lawyer. This will ensure that you don’t get the raw end of the deal and, we hate to say it, this often happens regardless of how civil things are between partners.

4. Consider your kids

If you have kids, try to keep their routine as normal as possible. We all know it - kids can take their parents’ divorce poorly - and therefore it is important for them to know that whilst there may be some changes that things will still be running smoothly.

You don’t want them to be caught in the middle of your divorce - it’s not good for anyone!

5. Find the right representation

You don’t want to enlist the services of just any lawyer. You want to find a highly reputable divorce or family lawyer that can ensure you get the best deal out of your divorce.

Do your research, consult Google reviews, testimonials etc. in order to find the right Perth divorce or family lawyer.

6. Find support in family & friends

At the end of the day, divorce is tough, and it’s important for you to have the right support you need to get through this difficult time. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and family, as one of the most important things is staying connected with loved ones at a time when you may be feeling low on that emotion.