Obviously if you are reading this either your or your spouse has made the decision to end your marriage. How easy or hard, slow or fast, and how emotionally you end the marriage depends on both of you.
Clients that have less issues, less assets, less discord and more mutual agreements will resolve their differences, never go to court and perhaps finish the entire process in six months. If it takes 30 days to prepare and negotiate the divorce stipulation, 30 more days to prepare all of the court papers and have them signed, then the court clerk will take 3-4 months to process the “uncontested divorce” package.
Clients that have a custody dispute, or can’t agree on parenting schedules, disagree on income and assets, have a business with unreported income, have secreted assets, have acts of domestic violence (in other words many serious problems) will have divorces that take longer, are more expensive and are filled with more emotion.
Some cases can be settled easily because all of the information is right there and other cases once the documents and statements are provided can also be easily resolved. However, when one person feels that they do not know enough about the finances, or feels threatened, or believes the children will not be safe with the other parent those types of cases will take more time and will truly require the representation by a highly skilled matrimonial attorney.