Despite the general opinion that men always come out smelling like a rose after a divorce, the opposite is true in more and more cases. Men's rights can be overlooked or just flat trampled on by their ex-spouse and the court system as well. A divorce can be just as financially and emotionally crippling to a man as to a woman, although men are expected to "man up" and not show those emotions. Financial settlements in the state of California can often be unfair and leave a man facing a bleak future. Gender bias in court is very much alive and well, and while many men feel they can handle the pressures of a divorce alone, they may find themselves hitting a brick wall and having no idea which way to turn.
Protect Your Rights
It is to your advantage to hire an aggressive divorce attorney who is experienced in protecting men's rights during a divorce. You need an advocate who knows all the ins and outs and won't let you give away your rights, but will seek a truly equitable financial agreement between you and your ex-wife. Even though California is a community property state, this can be something of a misnomer as many men find themselves left without a home, having to pay alimony because their ex-wife chooses not to work, and with the pensions they've worked years and years building up being split in half, leaving their future retirement plans shaky and unlikely.
Financial Considerations
Men commonly find themselves getting hit with huge tax obligations relating to their home, their retirement plan and their alimony payments. A good divorce attorney will help you avoid costly financial errors, reducing your total tax after divorce cost and ensuring you reach a fair and equitable financial divorce settlement in California. Your ex-wife will most likely be awarded the marital home, especially if you have children who live there, so you will be required to find another home.
Spousal Support
The state of California regards any marriage of over ten years "lengthy" therefore you may find yourself responsible for alimony payments for a very long time. Even though California statute bases its alimony awards on several factors which appear on the surface to make sense, they can be manipulated and abused, leaving the wife enjoying a much higher standard of living while not having to work than her ex-husband. The courts will take into consideration the marketable skills of your ex-wife, and the extent to which her future earnings are impaired by periods of unemployment she incurred during your marriage in order to be a homemaker or stay-at-home mother. While you may have felt you were giving your wife the gift of not having to work during your marriage, this "gift" may turn out to cost you financially for a very long time. To ensure you are not paying for your divorce ten, twenty or even thirty years down the road, run, don't walk, to the best divorce attorney you can find in California.
