As far as life’s most stressful events go, divorce typically falls among the top three. This is why at Buncher Family Law, we believe in educating our clients on the process of a marital dissolution. Reviewing these steps below may provide you with information to assist you in making more rationale, rather than emotional decisions.
Nine Steps to Consider:
- Initiating the divorce by filing a petition and serving your spouse.
- Spouse that did not initiate divorce must respond.
- The attorneys initiate the discovery process to determine the value of the marital estate.
- Analysis of the discovery of facts and negotiation options to reach settlement.
- Request for an order to get temporary rulings on issues that can’t be settled.
- Request trial date.
- Mandatory pre-trial settlement conference between parties.
- Trial preparation.
- Judge trial to decide issues in your case that were not settled.
Not every divorce will go through all nine of these steps but it is important to understand the process and have a lawyer that can assist you in weighing the cost and benefits of litigating versus settling it. Many professionals want to approach divorce as a business deal however, the emotional aspect tied with much of the process that one must go through requires an understanding of the steps and many forms and style of negotiations used in divorce.
When a potential client discusses their case with one of our attorneys they first listen to the facts of the case, discuss “Divorce 101”, and then discuss the most efficient strategy to move their case through the process. To learn more about each of the 9 steps visit “The Overview of Steps in Most Divorces.”