Any divorce can be complicated, but if you're divorcing a physically abusive spouse, you have even more to worry about than the average person who is getting divorced. 

Keeping Yourself Physically Safe

Of course, you have to keep yourself physically safe from your physically abusive spouse while you're going through your divorce and after your divorce is finalized. Your lawyer might suggest that you file a restraining order against your spouse, for example, so that he or she will not be allowed to contact you or come near you.

Reporting Abuse to the Police

You may be hoping that your spouse will face consequences for his or her abuse, so you may need to contact the police to tell them about the physical abuse that you have endured. Your divorce and family lawyer can help point you in the right direction so that you can provide the police with this information.

Being Prepared for Financial Abuse

In many situations, spouses who are physically abusive are abusive in other ways, too. For example, to discourage you from getting a divorce, your spouse might try to hide assets and cut you off financially. A good lawyer can help you fight to make sure that you are taken care of while the divorce is going on and can help you make sure that you get a fair divorce settlement, even if your spouse is attempting to hide assets from you or prevent you from accessing them.

Protecting Your Children

It might not just be you that you have to worry about protecting when divorcing a physically abusive spouse. If you have children, then it's obviously important for you to keep them safe, too. For example, unlike in many divorces, joint custody might not be an option because you might be concerned about the welfare of your children. Instead, your lawyer might fight for you to get sole custody of your children and for the other parent to have supervised visits with the children. Talk to your divorce and family attorney about your concerns so that he or she can help you keep your children safe.

There are a lot of considerations that you have to think about in any divorce, and there are even more to be worried about if you're divorcing someone who is physically abusive. Talk to your lawyer about your situation, and he or she will help you through the entire process.