Once the personal decision for a divorce has been made and the appropriate papers are pending with the court, one of the most common questions our law firm receives is: “How long will it take to finalize my divorce?”
Unfortunately, a straightforward answer to this question won’t suffice.
Factors Influencing Divorce Proceedings
We can’t easily offer a duration estimate for your divorce proceedings because there are too many variables to consider. These include:
- The cooperability of your spouse (their view on the dissolution of your marriage)
- Whether there needs to be a division of property
- The value of the property
- Whether there are minor children involved
- Support issues (financial and custodial)
- Parental issues (a division of responsibilities)
- How backed up and efficient the court is
- Whether you have an existing premarital or postmarital agreement
- The level of overall conflict between spouses
Be Wary of Attorneys Who Claim to Offer “Quick Divorces”
It’s not uncommon for us to hear about attorneys or firms who claim to offer quick divorces. This is generally a red flag that they may not take your case seriously. They want to get you in the door, and then they want you to hire them. So, they’ll say what you want to hear: that your divorce will be over quickly.
The truth is, it’s always more complicated than that. If you hire a “quick divorce” attorney like this, you may find that you are unpleasantly surprised later on when your attorney not only doesn’t put in the work for you, but the proceedings take longer than initially quoted.
Your best bet is to avoid attorneys who promise fast divorces. Any legal expert who readily puts an expected timeframe on divorce should be suspect.
With that said, we certainly understand that having a timeframe in mind helps you organize your life better when you’re getting a divorce. And the good news is that we can tell you X, Y, or Z factors may delay your divorce finalization — or speed it up.
For example, a consensually-agreed upon divorce where no dependents are involved and no property division is necessary will usually take less time to finalize. Compared to a divorce where one party is not cooperating, children are involved, and the level of conflict is high.
We want you to know that nothing is set in stone when it comes to divorce proceedings. It’s best to be ready for anything, and at the same time, work for the best and quickest outcome.
Our Mission Is to Represent Your Best Interests
While our firm may not be able to tell you an exact date when your divorce will be over, we offer something much better. Namely, we’re on your side and working hard for your best interests at all times. Your success is ours.
If you would like to speak with one of our attorneys about your divorce, please get in touch with us today. We offer free initial consultations so that you can ask questions and gather helpful information before assigning us your case. Call today, and tell us how we can help.
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