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How Divorce Attorneys Advise On Handling Divorce Domestic Violence Cases

If you’re in a relationship and are dealing with situation where you spouse is physically abusing you, you’re top priority is to get you and your children to safe place. You need to do this quietly without the spouse knowing you intend on divorcing, studies have shown the spouse tends to get even more violent if they find out that you plan on leaving them. This is true for both men and women who are in abusive relationships.

If you plan on leaving you need to:

• Find a safe place shelters are good place to go if you’re short on funds, or a friend’s house that can accommodate you for several days while you find a more permanent place to stay for you and your children
• Make sure you have access to some cash that you’ll have access once you leave
• You need to document any physical abuse with pictures preferably of you or your children
• Keep your contacts in case you need any help from family or friends you can trust

Once you are safe, you need to either have your divorce attorney in Atlanta specializing in violence to help you file a restraining order as soon as possible. This means if your spouse gets near you or your children the police can be notified immediately and your spouse can be charged with trespassing.

Also you need to notify the courts that you have left with the children or you might be charged with kidnapping your children from your spouse.  This is why a divorce attorney who understands the issues involved in domestic violence will be an asset in your situation.

Once you feel it’s safe to allow your spouse to have visitation rights, you should arrange to meet with your spouse in a public place where he won’t be able to harm you, if you believe the children won’t be safe with your spouse, please let the courts know. You can also arrange to meet your spouse at the police station if you feel your spouse is still a threat to you. You can also have a social worker visit the children while they are in your spouse’s custody, if you are concerned for their safety.

Often domestic violence by a spouse will lead to a divorce whether it’s physical abuse or emotional abuse. Your first order of business is to make sure everyone is safe this includes you and your children or anyone else who could be harmed in the relationship. If you believe there’s a chance for physical violence to occur it’s better to take preventative steps to leave the relationship instead of being harmed. If you have the resources it’s recommended you contact a divorce attorney specializing in domestic violence cases to assist you in ending the relationship.

One thing to keep in mind is once the relationship gets violent it’ll happen again, sometimes physical violence occurs unexpectedly and many times the spouse will apologize afterwards however the domestic violence will occur again, this is often the situation. Many times the spouse will believe it’s a onetime situation, but that’s usually not the case in domestic violence cases.