There are many ways that the unwary can damage their case. Often it happens when you’re tired and a lapse in judgement occurs.

Sometimes it’s something that was simply overlooked. Here are six tips for avoiding these mistakes.

1.) Be careful of well meaning legal advice from friends. Although they have your best interests at heart, your friends simply lack the proper expertise. Get your advice from an experienced divorce lawyer with a good record. Amateur advice will do more harm than good.

2.) Confidential messages from your lawyer for your eyes only being intercepted by your wife and her lawyer could be disastrous. This is why you need to change any jointly shared phone numbers, email, and land mail addresses as soon as possible.

3.) Never send original documents when your wife’s lawyer asks for details of your financial records. Send copies of your documents. Always keep the originals in a safe place.

4.) For both parents and children, divorces are trying times. However, the key to a quick and successful divorce settlement is organization and focus. Maintain a calm and clear head and move forward with your plan. Avoid arguments and confrontation with your ex.

5.) Staying calm and rational is essential during the divorce process. Winning a successful divorce settlement demands it. Anger on the other hand, can make you seem dangerous and unstable which can bias a judge in favor of your ex wife. There’s enough bias in the system in favor of your ex wife. No need to bias things further.

Anger isn’t the only emotion to avoid. Guilt over the divorce can be just as damaging to your case. It may prompt you to make promises to your ex that you can’t keep.

6.) Whenever it’s necessary to communicate with your ex, keep a log of what was said. Include the date, time, and the length of the conversation. Failure to keep a log allows opportunities to slip away. Something said may prove to be beneficial to your case later on.

Divorce is a difficult process on many levels. Therefore getting it finished as quickly as possible is an important consideration for most people. However, it is important to understand that divorce takes time.

How much time it takes depends on a number of factors. These factors determine whether it takes a month or several years. Five of these are listed and discussed here in this article.

1.) One variable that factors heavily into the duration of a divorce is how amicable it is. When there is no animosity between the participants and both are largely in agreement about the division of income and assets, the divorce is a relatively quick and simple affair.

On the other hand, expect a long protracted divorce if there is a great deal of hostility and disagreement between both parties. This may be a difficult thing to do for some couples, but try your best to make the divorce as amicable as possible which means keeping the emotions in check. This applies not only to how you communicate to your ex but to the thoughts and feelings that you are having about her. Angry thoughts inevitably lead to angry words and actions.

2.) Your choice of lawyer has a profound impact on the outcome of your divorce as well as how quickly the settlement can be reached. A good lawyer should be honest, easy to work with, and competent. Competence equates to lots of experience with divorce law. Honesty means that your lawyer isn’t trying to take as much money from you as possible. Instead, your best interests are the priority. Easy to work with means getting answers to your questions and the lines of communication are always open.

3.) A long and drawn out divorce places greater stress on both the parents and the children. It also increases the number of hours worked by your divorce lawyer which increases your legal expenses. Keep the proceedings as short as possible by keeping your focus on the important issues only. Avoid arguing over small concerns that mean nothing in the long term.

4.) Disagreement over the smallest of things is common when there is animosity between a couple getting divorced. This can get very costly for both parties because it lengthens the divorce process. Use someone such as a marriage counselor to be your mediator if this is your circumstance.

5.) Smooth and speedy divorce proceedings demand organization from both you and your lawyer. To that end, gather up all documents (personal and financial) that are relevant. Send your lawyer copies of the documents. The originals should be kept in a safe place.