New Names and Titles
You'll need to transfer titles to cars, boats, trailers, or snowmobiles according to decree terms. Usually you and your spouse can simply sign off on the title documents and apply for new titles. If you changed your name, you'll need to change your Social Security registration as well as the name on all your accounts — bank, credit, and utility — and apply for a new driver's license.
Money Matters
If the decree divides retirement funds, your lawyer may need to draft a Qualified Domestic Relations Order for each account that is to be so divided. Each employer has different requirements for this order, so your lawyer will have to contact the company's legal department to get the appropriate form. Other retirement money may be divided by providing a certified copy of the judgment and decree.
Drafting DROs and QDROs requires specific expertise, so make sure your lawyer has experience drafting this kind of document. It is important for you to get everything from the retirement benefits the judge awarded. Once a DRO or QDRO is signed by the judge, it is difficult to change. In some cases, your attorney may recommend that a different attorney draft the DRO or QDRO in order to make sure it is correct.
The decree will order child support and spousal maintenance, if warranted. You may have had a support order in place while the divorce was pending. Perhaps you and your spouse had an informal arrangement to pay support that didn't involve the formal system.
If income withholding is in place when the decree is issued, you'll only need to give the new numbers to the employer or the child support enforcement agency that implements the withholding. If payments are being made directly and you want withholding, you'll have to make arrangements to get it set up. This usually requires an order from the court, so make sure you asked for this during the trial. Usually it takes several months between the request and the implementation. You'll need to pay the agency or your ex-spouse directly during that time.
Is It Really the End?
With any luck, you're now finished with the legal divorce. If you had to go to trial, you've invested several years, a lot of money, and your sweat and tears in the process. For some people, the divorce is only the beginning of years of litigation. Repeated requests to modify provisions of your decree, endless court appearances, and fighting with your ex can prolong the process. Unless you and your ex-spouse learn to resolve issues through negotiation, you may meet again in the halls of justice as your lives and circumstances change.
