How quickly can you get a divorce? While divorce proceedings have timelines, your spouse could prolong a proceeding by litigating every issue. Your spouse could also extend the discovery process to lengthen the time of the divorce. An uncooperative spouse could make a proceeding that should be over in a few months last for over a year or longer.
Timeline of a Divorce
Once your Arcadia divorce lawyer drafts the initial petition, they must file it with the court and have the clerk issue a summons. Then, a process server must serve the divorce documents on your spouse. If your spouse avoids the process server, serving your spouse could take weeks instead of days.
Once the process server serves the documents, your spouse has a set number of days to respond to the divorce. If they do not, your divorce lawyer could file a default. If your spouse does not show up at the default hearing, the court enters a final judgment in your favor.
Once your spouse responds, the discovery process starts. Your spouse can be cooperative or could stall the process here, too. They might not provide discovery immediately or might want to fight you over every issue.
What Happens When a Party Requests a Hearing
When you request a hearing because you do not agree with something your spouse did, it can take weeks or even months to resolve the issue. For example, if your spouse refuses to allow visitation with your children, you could file a motion in the court to force your spouse to let you see your children.
It takes the attorney time to draft the motion. Once it gets filed with the court, the attorney can request a hearing. However, if the court is backed up or your attorney is unavailable, the motion is scheduled to go further out. It also takes time to draft the court’s order after the hearing.
When a Divorce Ends Quickly
If you and your spouse can agree on everything, disbursement of assets, child custody, spousal support, and child support, you won’t have to go through a lengthy divorce. Your Arcadia divorce lawyer can draft a settlement agreement. Once both of you sign the deal, the attorneys request a final hearing with the court. It’s a short hearing to “prove up” the divorce. The court enters a final judgment and closes the case.
When you agree on everything, the process could be as short as mere weeks instead of months or years.
Contact an Arcadia Divorce Attorney
If you are wondering how quickly can you get a divorce, contact an Arcadia divorce attorney at Mohajer Law Firm for a consultation to learn more about the process and your rights during divorce proceedings.
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