You have decided to divorce or are in the middle of your divorce. Have you thought about your long term goals? Have you decided which issues are the most important to you? A true reflection on your short term and long term goals can help you resolve your divorce much faster, as long as you are reasonable.
Most of my clients say the most important thing is to provide for and protect their children. For some parents that may mean joint custody where the children have substantial time with both parents while for others it may be more restrictive or sole custody due to domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse or other health limitations. Some parents are able to consult with their spouses when there are major decisions, others cannot do so.
For some clients a major issue is making sure that there is enough money to maintain the family home for the children ( child support) and meet the monthly expenses for the parent ( maintenance) and the children or, from the other point of view, making sure that there is enough money for the non-custodial parent to meet their expenses. This may involve determining the "real" income for a self-employed or off the books earner.
For clients without children the issue may be as simple as just dividing agreed upon assets and finalizing the divorce. Other clients just want a legal separation so that they can continue to receive health insurance benefits. Clearly different goals for different situations.
In some cases the issues of custody are resolved but there are issues as to the amount of marital assets and whether either person is entitled to credits for separate property.
So while the number of issues can be varied, if you can identify the most important ones to you there will be focus by you and your attorney to get you to the finish line.