The Biggest Mistakes People Make in a Texas Divorce
The single mistake that makes a divorce worse than it has to be is hiring the wrong attorney — picking someone because they seem “aggressive” or a friend recommended them, without ever asking about their process, timeline, or fees. Six months later the money’s gone and the case hasn’t moved.
The close second: letting emotion drive strategy. Divorce is emotional, but decisions made out of anger — fighting over property you don’t need or positions you can’t win — cost you money and time and rarely get you what you actually need.
What to focus on instead. Ask one question: what do you need to move forward with your life? Start there; the rest is noise.
What this means for you. Choose an attorney on process and price, not bravado. At the Law Office of Chris Schmiedeke, the flat fee and defined scope are laid out before you hire, so the incentives point at finishing your case — not fighting for its own sake.
Video Transcript
Read the transcript
Daughter: Dad, what’s the one thing that makes divorce way worse than it has to be?
Chris: Hiring the wrong attorney.
Daughter: That’s it?
Chris: That’s the biggest one. People pick someone because they seem aggressive, or a friend recommended them. They never ask about the process, the timeline, the fees. Six months in they’re out of money and the case hasn’t moved.
Daughter: What else do people do wrong?
Chris: Let emotion drive legal strategy. I understand — it’s an emotional situation. But decisions made out of anger or wanting to hurt someone cost you money and time, and rarely get you what you actually need.
Daughter: Like what, specifically?
Chris: Fighting over things that aren’t worth fighting over. Property you don’t actually need. Positions you can’t win. Every hour you spend on that is money you’re not spending on your future.
Daughter: So what should I actually be focused on?
Chris: What do you need to move forward with your life? Start there. Everything else is noise.