Preparation Can Facilitate a More Efficient Divorce

 Posted on April 09, 2026 in Family Law

While nothing can completely get rid of the stress of a divorce, some planning can go a long way toward making it manageable. Streamlined divorces include financial, logistical, and emotional preparation. This will help keep you from missing deadlines, rushing big decisions, and generally getting too worn down.

If you're about to file for divorce in 2026, a Kane County divorce attorney can help you understand what steps to take now to make the whole process easier.

Decide What Your Priorities Are in Your Divorce

Perhaps the biggest single thing you can do to make your divorce more manageable is to decide early what your highest priorities truly are. Write them down if it will help you remember. Doing this will give you a touchstone to come back to when things get messy. You don’t want to go through your whole divorce being reactive to what your spouse says or does instead of being proactive about your own interests.

This shouldn’t be a long list – just the top one to three things that are most important to you. These are the things that you’re willing to make compromises to get. Are you most concerned about parenting time and decision-making for your kids? Do you want to protect your business? Think carefully about:

• Which assets matter most to you and why
• What a realistic post-divorce parenting time arrangement would look like for your children
• Which areas are you willing to compromise on to gain ground in others
• What financial obligations you can realistically sustain on your own

Share your top priorities with your attorney early. This will help them understand how best to build your case. It will also give them an opportunity to advise you on whether those priorities will actually serve you long-term. For example, if you’re very set on keeping the house, your attorney can review your financial situation and the long-term costs of the home and advise you on whether it’s actually a good idea.

Other Practical Steps You Should Take to Prepare for Divorce

The following will help set you up for the specific issues that will need to be addressed in your divorce.

Talk to Your Spouse

This may seem obvious, but surprising your spouse with divorce papers is a bad way to start the process. Illinois is a no-fault divorce state, so you don’t have to prove to the court that your spouse did anything wrong to make you divorce them (750 ILCS 5/401). Unless you’re at risk of violence or abuse in response to bringing up divorce, it’s helpful to try to keep communication with your spouse open and straightforward. If it's safe to do so, have a candid conversation before filing about your intentions, your timeline, and what you each hope the outcome looks like.

If your divorce is amicable and you believe they’ll be reasonable and honest during divorce proceedings, this is also a good time to discuss options like collaborative divorce or mediation.

Talk to Your Children

DuPage County requires divorcing parents to complete an educational program about how divorce affects children and how to communicate with them through the process. These programs can be a great place to start if you’re not sure how to approach the subject with your kids. Course or no course, though, your kids deserve to hear from you that there are going to be some changes in their lives.  

Get a Clear Picture of Your Finances and Assets

Before you file, pull your credit report so you know exactly what joint debts exist and whose name they're in. Gather recent tax returns, pay stubs, and bank statements. If you're concerned about shared accounts being depleted before the court has a chance to divide assets, it may be worth speaking with an attorney about what you can do to protect your finances.

Inventory what you own. This includes obvious assets like your home and vehicles, but also investments, retirement accounts, and personal property that may have value. Collections, jewelry, antiques, and similar items can be appraised and factored into the marital estate.

How to Protect Your Health and Well-Being During a Divorce

Prolonged stress has been linked to increased risks of depression, heart disease, and other health complications. A study from the National Library of Medicine reports that divorce and separation come with a significantly increased mortality rate. To offset this, make sure you maintain good baseline habits for eating, sleeping, drinking enough water, and exercising. If you get off course, acknowledge it and reset. Some effort in these areas is better than letting things go completely.

Also, make sure you have professional help where needed, even if you’re trying to be frugal. Investments worth making during your divorce include a good divorce attorney, doctors you trust, and a therapist or counselor if you're experiencing significant anxiety, depression, or grief.

Both depression and anxiety are more common during and immediately after divorce. Addressing them early can preserve your decision-making ability and help this be a period of growth rather than regression.

Call a St. Charles, IL Divorce Attorney Today

At Mirabella, Kincaid, Frederick & Mirabella, LLC, we strive to give clients the best legal help possible during this difficult and draining process. Our Kane County divorce lawyers serve family law clients from our offices in Kane County, DuPage County, and DeKalb County for your convenience. Contact MKFM Law at 630-665-7300 to schedule your initial attorney meeting.