5 Signs It Is Time to Contact a Divorce Attorney

You’ve contemplated divorce, but you’re not sure you’re ready to make the step and actually contact a Rhode Island divorce lawyer. You’ve mulled your options and gone back and forth during the decision-making process, but how do you know it’s really time to make the leap and end your marriage? Undoubtedly, making the steps to move toward a divorce are likely one of the most difficult decisions you’ll make in your life, and while your marriage may still be salvageable despite difficult times, there are some signs it’s absolutely time to reach for the phone and contact a divorce lawyer.

Here are 5 of the most common:

1. Do you have what seem like constant arguments and negative interactions with your spouse? Many times the breaking point for couples considering divorce becomes when their negative interactions seem to be more numerous than the positive ones. Of course every couple fights, but that shouldn’t be the norm in a marriage.
2. Do you have different long-term goals from your spouse? A marriage isn’t just about loving one another—you have to share similar goals and see your lives heading down a similar path. If you want a large family and your spouse doesn’t want children at all, it may be that you can’t find a way for the relationship to work. These problems are likely to only become magnified and lead to future resentment.
3. Have one or both of you lost respect for the other? A good healthy marriage requires respect. It doesn’t require constant agreement, but once respect is lost it’s unlikely the marriage can ever get back on track. Signs that respect is gone include one spouse who constantly belittles or just disregards the other. Very few couples make it back from a relationship where respect has gone out the window.
4. Is one spouse continuously unfaithful? Certainly some marriages are able to weather an affair, particularly if it’s a one-time mistake, but if one spouse is a serial cheater it’s not likely to be a marriage that rebounds. Serial unfaithfulness creates deep-rooted feelings of mistrust and dishonesty, and there may be something even more serious at play when it comes to the spouse who’s doing the cheating. There may be a lack of love or perhaps the cheater has problems that just can’t be fixed.
5. Is communication lacking in your marriage? It sounds cliché, but good communication is not just an option—it’s a necessity in a strong marriage. Many couples that are on the brink of divorce find they’re not even talking about the day-to-day with their spouse, much less the larger and more intimate things that are discussed in a strong marriage. This can be an even bigger indicator of a problem if one or both partners in the marriage are talking to outsiders, like friends or other family members. If you’re not willing to talk to your spouse but you’ll share your intimate thoughts with someone else, it can be a big red flag.

If you see yourself heading toward divorce, or you can check one or all of the above boxes, contact a Rhode Island divorce attorney to discuss your options and the next steps.