How To Speed Up Your Divorce
A lengthy divorce is a costly divorce. Costs aside, there are many other negative issues associated with a lengthy divorce. For example, it may distract you from your job and prevent you from traveling since you may be needed for negotiations or court appearances. Here are three measures to speed up your divorce:
Apply For a Waiver of the Waiting Period
Some states have waiting periods that every couple going through a divorce must go through before being granted the divorce. The waiting, or cooling-off period, is for you to sit back and consider what you are about to do so you can make sure it's what you want. If you didn't initiate the divorce, you could also use this period to prepare for it.
Fortunately, some states allow for a waiver of this cooling-off period. If that's the case in your jurisdiction, then you can make the application and, hopefully, hasten your divorce process.
Set Up a Reasonable Timeline
Sit down with your lawyer and set up a reasonable timeline for the divorce. Talk to your lawyer and understand the different options available for each stage of the divorce. The major stages involve serving your partner with the divorce petition, filing temporary orders (for example temporary custody order), responding to service of process, negotiating major issues, or going to trial.
How you handle each step determines how long your divorce takes. For example, when your partner files for temporary custody of the children, consult a lawyer from a firm like Ward & Ketchersid PA and go through the options available to you. After that, make up your mind as soon as possible so that you can move to the next stage.
Cooperate With Your Spouse
The ideal divorce is the one where you agree on all the issues and only present the court with the settlement agreement for approval. The more issues you leave up to the court to decide, the longer your divorce will take. Don't forget that your case isn't the only one the family court is handling, and it has to set dates for each of them. Save yourself some time by agreeing on as many issues as you can. Only let the court handle the really difficult issues you fail to finalize via mediation or negotiation.
Cooperation is the key to a fast divorce; cooperate with the court, your attorney, and your spouse. Don't pick up fights just for the sake of antagonizing your partner. Talk to your divorce lawyer about more ways of hastening the process.
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