Avoid zugzwang in Divorce

I ran across a new word the other day, zugzwang, that has an interesting application to divorce. The word means "a situation where a player is limited to moves which have a damaging effect". Hmmm. What does that have to do with divorce you might ask? My idea in teaching people how to have a Smart Divorce in Texas is so that they can avoid just that, zugzwang. Although I don't claim to have ever heard of the word until I ran into it the other day, I see the signs of the condition with more regularity than I would wish at the courthouse.

People don't understand that once they are moving toward divorce, whether it is filed or not, every action or inaction they take, every conversation they have with their future ex-spouse, their selection of professionals, all are part of the negotiation of their divorce. Moves should be strategic not haphazard or an emotional reaction "in the moment." You don't want to be two years into a divorce having spent your entire estate on attorneys fees and looking at a choice of possible resolutions of your case that are all your worst-case scenario.

In future posts I will talk more specifically on how to minimize the chance of finding yourself "zugzwanging".

For Smart Divorce in Texas

Diane M. Wanger (Divorcing people since 1983)

www.texasfamilylaw.info

817-285-2855