How to Speed Up a Jacksonville Divorce

Many people are eager to finalize a divorce so they can begin dating again. Others simply want to be free of any legal entanglement with their ex. Call Empowerment Legal, PLLC. We can discuss whether an uncontested divorce is right for you. The good news is that couples have considerable power to determine the shape of their divorce, if they can negotiate with each other effectively.

Reaching Agreement on Critical Issues

Couples can decide most critical issues without the assistance of a judge. These issues include child custody, child support, alimony, and the division of marital property and debts. There are many resources available to help men and women find common ground, including mediation.

If you and your spouse reach an agreement, you can draft a settlement agreement and then submit it to the judge. So long as the terms comply with law, a judge will sign off on it.

We have seen uncontested divorces resolved in as little as a few months. Of course, reaching agreement is the hard part. Communication often breaks down, which is one reason a couple is headed to divorce court in the first place. Nonetheless, there is no better way to reduce the costs associated with divorce than by hammering out an agreement with each other and then filing an uncontested divorce.

Know What You Want

It’s hard to negotiate effectively if you are unsure of what you want. Often, people decide they want “everything,” which is unrealistic. If speed is your objective, then divorce will require some give and take. That might mean holding firm in certain areas, such as child custody, while being flexible in others, like alimony.

Listen to Your Spouse

Couples often feel like they are miles apart when their disagreements are minor. Indeed, negative emotions often make disagreements seem larger than they really are.

Consider child custody. You might think you cannot find common ground when, in reality, you only disagree on minor issues, such as who the children will spend Christmas with. By listening to your spouse, you can often narrow down the issues in dispute.

Hire a Lawyer

Those who try to divorce without a lawyer can make critical errors:

• You file in the wrong court, which delays the divorce process.
• You file before you have lived in Florida for enough time.
• You don’t serve divorce papers on your spouse the correct way, which results in delay.
• You don’t follow the state guidelines for child support. Although couples can negotiate their own divorce, children have a right to child support which parents cannot waive.

A lawyer can streamline the process and speed up the divorce as much as possible.

Consult an Experienced Lawyer Today

Ending a marriage does not mean you have to hate your spouse. Couples can commit to working collaboratively and amicably to end their marriage. By committing to a non-adversarial process, couples put their children first. Your lawyer should follow your lead.

Reach out to Empowerment Legal, PLLC. A Jacksonville divorce lawyer can help you determine whether to mediate a dispute, and we can answer other questions in a private consultation.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/STATUTES/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.19.html