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Divorce Legal Jargon – The ABCs

Divorce legal jargon can be overwhelming when you’re going through a divorce. Here’s a list of some terms to know and things to remember!

If you are going through a divorce, you might be overwhelmed by all the divorce legal jargon you here being tossed around. Knowledge is power and having familiarity with all the terms that will be use about and around you can help you feel much more confident and prepared to engage in the conversation not to mention knowing what the heck they are talking about!  Here are some ABCs of those terms (plus a few common terms that are important in this process) to get you started!

A is for Alimony, which is the support paid by one spouse to the other for a period of time after a divorce as ordered by the court.
B is for Beneficiary, the person or legal entity designated to receive the benefits of an asset or property owned by someone else.
C is for Child Support, the monetary obligation as determined by the court that the higher earning parent to pays to other parent to help provide for the dependent child(ren).
D is for Divorce Attorney, a hired professional who advocates on one person’s behalf for child custody, child support and spousal support.
E is for Estate Planner, a hired professional who prepares instructions for the future handling of a person’s property, finances, healthcare, as well as the future support of loved ones.
F is for Financial Planner, a hired professional who helps clients manage their current assets and plan for future financial goals related to savings, investments, insurance, retirement savings and college savings.
G is for Guardian ad Litem, a court-appointed custody evaluator, often a social worker or attorney, whose role is to investigate the child’s best interest.
H is for Health and Wellness Professionals , experts who can help you on a path of stress reduction, anxiety management and healthy living.
I is for Insurance Agent, a professional who can work with you to modify/create the homeowner’s or automobile policy necessary to support you in your next chapter.
J is for Joint Petition, when both spouses want a divorce claiming an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.
K is for Kids, the most important consideration during your divorce!
L is for Litigation, a contested divorce where the unresolved issues are settled in court by a judge.
M is for Marital Assets, the property considered to belong to both spouses.
N is for Negotiation, the process of discussing terms to arrive at an agreement.
O is for Opportunity, during this transition in your life, you can create a new life for yourself that you love.
P is for Personal Property, the marital assets which may be divided per the divorce agreement. Some examples are home furnishings, cars/boats/campers, computers/home office equipment, jewelry, collections, dishes, artwork
Q is for QDRO, the qualified domestic relation order by the court allowing someone to receive a predefined amount of their spouse’s retirement plan assets
R is for Remember, remember this challenging time and divorce process is temporary and the next chapter of your life awaits.
S is for Support, Divorce Squad is here to support you!
T is for Temporary Orders which request the court deal with important pending issues while you wait for the final hearing.
U is for Uncontested, meaning a divorce adversarial litigation process is not needed.
V is for Visitation, when one parent is granted sole custody, the non-custodial parent may be granted rights to see the child(ren).
W is for Waiting Period, the time between the judge signing a Judgement of Divorce and it becomes Absolute as determined by state regulation.
X is for eX, you are moving on to better and more beautiful times ahead without this person.
Y is for You! Take care of yourself first and everything else will fall into place.
Z is for Zombie, don’t turn in to one! There is so much support here and all around you. Take care of yourself and you will get through this divorce and come out on the other side even better than before.