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The days and weeks right after a spouse moves out of the marital home are the most crucial. The actions you take now will set both the tone of your divorce process and determine what legal options are available to you. Talking to an attorney about your next steps is important to making sure you avoid common mistakes and place you in the best possible legal position.

The property division in a divorce is called "Equitable Distribution". This means that the court will divide, in general, all property and debt acquired from the date of your marriage until the date you and your spouse separate. The division percentage varies depending on numerous factors such as the length of marriage, contributions during the marriage, health of the spouses, and many more. Equitable Distribution is one of the most complex parts of the separation and divorce process. To protect your rights and preserve the value of the assets, you should speak with an attorney right away. Our Attorney Melissa Clark-Ford knows how to make sure the home and standard of living you worked hard for is protected.

North Carolina does have Alimony for separated spouses. Alimony is usually a month payment for the support and maintenance of a spouse. There isn't a formula to calculate how much a spouse will receive and for how long. Instead, the Judge examines, amount other factors,  the standard of living during the marriage, ,whether a spouse has committed adultery, the financial resource of each spouse, and the length of the marriage. One of the biggest mistakes a spouse can make is agreeing to pay alimony or agreeing not to receive alimony shortly after separation. If your spouse asks you to sign a document or agree to a certain about in alimony, you should talk to an attorney right away. Making the wrong decision about alimony can cost you for the rest of your life. Our Attorney Melissa Clark-Ford has helped Clients in Alimony cases for over a decade and knows how to help you get the answers you need.

If you have assets or debts that you and your spouse acquired during your marriage, a Separation Agreement or Equitable Distribution Order from the court is essential to making sure you get the property you deserve. Once a divorce is finalized, you may lose some or all of your rights to marital property. At Clark-Ford Law, we prepare Separation Agreements for our Clients that are easy to understand and protect our Clients both now and in the future. We work with our Clients to prepare personalized legal documents that provide our Client's maximum legal protection.

Divorce is North Carolina is called "Absolute Divorce" and is very similar to a no-fault divorce. Before a spouse can file for divorce in North Carolina, they have to have lived within the state for at least six consecutive months prior filing and have been separated from their spouse for at least one year. If you have not been separated long enough, there are still important rights to marital property that need to be protected through the Equitable Distribution process. This is the method North Carolina Courts use to determine what assets and debts belong to what spouse. It can also help determine who is allow to live in the house during a separation. Once a divorce is finalized, you may lose important rights to property and assets. That's why it talking with an experience attorney like Melissa Clark-Ford should be one of your first steps.

Contact us now to schedule a confidential consultation with our award winning attorney.