cover image Getting Your Share: A Woman's Guide to Successful Divorce Strategies

Getting Your Share: A Woman's Guide to Successful Divorce Strategies

Lois Brenner. Crown Publishers, $17.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-517-56964-1

Faced with statistics--that under today's no-fault divorce laws the living standards of newly divorced women decline by 73% while those of men rise by 42%--women contemplating divorce might well heed the advice contained in this comprehensive, precise guide. Starting with selection of a skillful and congenial lawyer, Brenner, who heads the matrimonial department of a New York City law firm, and Stein, former editor-in-chief of McCall's and Redbook , explain each phase of divorce preparation. They also detail the court procedures that can achieve fair division of property, and go over other provisions for ensuring a family's long-term financial welfare and emotional health, including issues of custody, visitation, occupancy of home, etc. With no two divorces the same, they note, strategy depends on a wife's age and that of their children, her earning potential and on her securing accurate, negotiable information regarding her husband's assets, priorities and motives. Chapters on the emotionally wrenching issues of child custody and support are particularly perceptive, as are passages dealing with post-divorce trauma and transition. (Aug.)