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Divorce Options
UNCONTESTED DIVORCE
When all issues have been resolved in a manner acceptable to both parties, the divorce is said to be uncontested.
An uncontested divorce generally deals only with the issue of divorce, the other matters having already been settled either by formal agreement of the parties or by orders from other Courts.
SEPARATION AGREEMENTS
A Separation Agreement is a legally binding document which addresses the support, custody, and visitation arrangements for the children and the distribution of your marital property. The agreement will remain in effect indefinitely, can be mutually cancelled if you and your spouse reconcile, or it can be modified. When you become legally separated for example, you will not be responsible for any new debt created by your spouse.
These agreements can be drafted either before or after filing the complaint for a divorce. If drafted after the filing of the divorce complaint, the court calls this agreement a stipulation. While it is not necessary to have a separation agreement for all uncontested divorce actions, it is highly advised to simplify matters in the future concerning child support, child custody, and the distribution (split) of marital property.
CONTESTED DIVORCE
A contested divorce proceeding occurs when the parties to the divorce fail to agree on the terms of the divorce, or one party does not wish to divorce at all. Most contested divorces are eventually settled with or without court intervention, however, a few do actually require a trial.
Our fees are based upon the amount of assistance and paperwork necessary to complete your action. Fees for divorce actions wherein the parties have minor children generally require more work than those for couples who do not have minor children, and therefore are charged at a higher rate.