Tasks to complete after a court grants the divorce

In Tennessee, many couples find it painful to even think about getting divorced. The entire procedure of filling out legal documents rivals the strong emotions and conflicting thoughts felt by both spouses. Feeling burdened with sleepless nights and grief, couples may benefit from working with an experienced family law attorney. Ex-spouses could still have more work to do even after the divorce decree has been signed by both parties.

After making important decisions about the division of properties, assets often require changing titles from joint to single ownership. For instance, a house formerly owned by both spouses will belong to only one spouse after the divorce takes place. Therefore, the title needs to change to reflect that the property is now owned by a single person instead of a married couple. In this situation, a quitclaim deed usually suffices. Ideally, the mortgage should also reflect the change. Otherwise, the person who no longer owns the home may still owe mortgage payments to the lender.

Similarly, bank account titles need updating to note the change in ownership. After a joint account is closed, each single individual needs to establish their own individual bank accounts, including checking, saving and investment accounts. Stocks and mutual funds previously registered in both names need to reflect the fact that they are now divided up and owned by two separate individuals.

The divorce process can generally be completed much quicker if the couple tackles the legal procedures amicably. Couples with lots of assets are particularly vulnerable to making serious errors when attempting to divide their properties. A divorce attorney could help a soon-to-be ex wade through asset documents with fewer difficulties.