Celebrities appear to live glamorous lifestyles full of riches, fame and luxury. When it comes to divorce, these riches and fame can make things more complicated and lead to additional hostilities. Divorce can be a stressful, emotional event for people from all walks of life. People with money are not immune from making poor choices during challenging times.

Most of us aren’t celebrities but can learn from the common mistakes made by divorcing celebrities. No matter your circumstances, every divorcing or separating couple would be wise to avoid these pitfalls so their divorce or separation goes smoothly.

Keep things private

You do not need to be subject to the amount of publicity celebrities experience. However, you should still try to keep personal matters private. Sharing too much and with too many people can cause a lot of unnecessary family drama, lost friendships and a longer divorce process. These consequences, in turn, can harm your children. Talk to a few trusted loved ones and a therapist to help you get through emotional challenges and don’t air your grievances in public or on social media platforms.

Choose your battles

Consider if your argument over a piece of property is about the property itself or is it really about hurting your spouse? Some things are not worth the time and effort of fighting over. Decide which assets are truly important to your future and let the rest go. Don’t let your emotions run the show during any phase of a divorce. Mutual cooperation with your ex usually leads to the best results.

Be realistic

Most common in going into a divorce is unrealistic expectations. You may think your case is straightforward and clear and that the judge will side with you and grant a ruling that you consider fair. Maybe you think the divorce will be over in a certain amount of time because that is how it went with your friends or in a book you read.

However, every case is unique because each involves a specific couple, judge, attorneys, assets, children, needs, money, timing and so on. Be realistic about your situation. If you anticipate a highly contested divorce, it will take longer and cost more. And if you have children involved, consider what is in their best interests even if does not seem fair to you.

If you have questions about how to avoid mistakes during a divorce, an experienced matrimonial and family law lawyer can help you start out on the right foot in finding your way to happily ever after.