If you have come to the conclusion that you and your current spouse need a divorce, whether it is mutual or not, there are a few things you will want to do to ensure that the divorce is as successful as possible. Going through a divorce is not an easy task and there are many mistakes that can be made along the way that can lead to a less than desirable outcome on your part. Here are four things you need to do before filing for divorce to ensure success:

1. ​Gather Your Finances: Before meeting with a family law lawyer, you need to have a clear understanding of your finances. After all, when going through a divorce, your finances are going to be divided between you and your spouse as fairly as possible. If you put together all your finances, such as tax returns, loans, and more and present it to your family law lawyer, you are able to come to a strategic plan that will ensure that you are splitting the financial assets fairly. 
2. Avoid Social Media: Social media is definitely an outlet people enjoy to use for venting. However, this is not a good idea when going through a divorce. Any posts that are made can be used against you and lead to a less than desirable outcome from the divorce on your part. If you have children, it's also not a good idea to make any posts that could lead to you being perceived as an unfit guardian for the children. This can lead to your spouse receiving more custodial rights. 
3. Visit a Therapist: If you find that it's difficult to control your emotions during this time, it's suggested that you visit a therapist who can help you learn how to do this. This also provides you with a safe and private outlet for you to vent without it being held against you. This will ensure that you are more likely to stay level-headed when you need to go to court or meet with your spouse for any reason.
4. Put Money Aside: Any money that you are making should be set aside during the process of your divorce so that you can use to get your life back on track after the divorce has been processed. This means you should not be putting money in a joint checking account, but instead open up your own separate account.

When you do these things before filing for divorce, you can be sure that the outcome of your divorce is definitely more desirable for you. Talk to an attorney, like Baudler, Maus, Forman, Kritzer & Wagner, LLP, for more help.