- October 28, 2022
When we meet with a new divorce client for the first time, they usually have two questions for us. The first question is how long it’s going to take for the divorce become final. While we never want a client to rush through their divorce, we also understand that it’s something they want to get done and over with. The second question is how much it’s going to take to make that happen. The truth is that your Greenville divorce lawyer never knows ahead of time exactly how long it will take to resolve your case. It would be unfair for them to give you a precise answer. It’s also impossible to know upfront exactly how much it will cost to process your divorce.
If you and your soon to be ex-spouse have already discussed things like custody and alimony, then there is a chance your divorce could be completed quicker than normal. If this is the case, it shouldn’t take all that long for your divorce to become final. As long as you have both agreed to most of the terms of the divorce, it shouldn’t be that hard to get to the final divorce hearing. Once there, the judge will stamp your final divorce order and you will both be free to go your separate ways. However, if there are certain issues that still you cannot  amicably, you word divorce attorney in Greenville may have to take longer than usual to negotiate a fair marital settlement agreement with your soon to be ex spouse’s attorney.
Most Divorces are Not as Amicable as Our Clients Wish They Would Be
In an ideal world, every divorce our Greenville divorce lawyer handled would be completed within a matter of months. Unfortunately, things rarely work out the way they would in an ideal world. There are several things that can make a divorce case drag out for months or even years. Some of these issues include:
- disputes over how to divide the marital assets
- child custody arrangements
- child support
- alimony or spousal support
- visitation schedules
- attorney’s fees
As you can imagine, many cases involve some or all these issues. Even in your own case, you may realize that you have to hash out the terms to almost each and every single thing listed above. It’s not as if your attorney can sit down with the opposing side and come up with agreeable terms for each issue in a single day. In the experience of our Greenville divorce lawyers, it can take days or weeks to resolve each of these issues singularly. For example, when it comes to dividing the marital assets, we have seen clients fight over personal property that is worth less than $100. In other cases, we’ve had one spouse refused to consent to any division of property. The general rule is that the more cantankerous the relationship you have with your spouse, the longer it is going to take to finalize your divorce.
Your Greenville Divorce Lawyer May Employ a Mediator
When it’s come to the point where you and your soon to be explosive reached an impasse, your Greenville divorce lawyer may decide to bring an immediate are. The mediator someone who used to be a practicing family law attorney and it’s chosen instead to serve as a go between or professional initiator. When you were divorce lawyer in Greenville schedules the mediation in conjunction with your ex is attorney, the goal is to get as many issues resolved possible. Only the good things about private mediation is that it’s not binding. This means that the court can’t hold you to whatever the mediator says should happen. However, there are times when the judge orders you to go to mediation using a court mediator as well. While the recommendations of this second mediator are not binding, they do make a recommendation to the judge and the judges court clerk about what should happen in the case. The recommendation carries a lot of weight. This means that whatever you are a divorce attorney in Greenville learns during mediation it should be taken to heart because it is a good indication of how the judge would rule where the case to go to trial that same day.
What Things Can Make a Divorce Take Longer than Usual?
There are certain things that make a divorce take a lot longer than normal. Typically, we like to tell our clients that their divorce could take anywhere from 9 to 14 months. These are cases that usually involve children as well as spousal support and the division of assets. However, there are certain factors to make your divorce take a lot longer than that. For example, if it takes three or four months to properly serve your spouse with a divorce complaint that can certainly push things back awhile. your case can also be derailed if the defendant’s attorney is very slow with getting back discovery.
When the two attorneys first start to discuss your case, they’re supposed to exchange information between the two parties that is meant to help come to a resolution. This process of exchanging information is called discovery. If you feel that your ex is hiding assets or is doing something that’s not on the “up and up”, this is where you would find out with that information. It is in cases like this where we see the opposing counsel drag their feet and not get discovery done in time. This will require your Greenville divorce lawyer to file motion with the court asking them to compel the other attorney to provide discovery. once your attorney has this information, it could take several weeks or even months before they’ve had a chance to synthesize it and look for whatever signs or maybe that your ex or soon to be ex is signing assets.
Make Sure You Hire a Reputable Divorce Attorney in Greenville
Whenever you meet with one of our Greenvpotential client, we always tell them to be wary of divorce attorneys who promise to get their case done in a matter of days or weeks. You can go online right now and do a search for the term quickie divorce, and you’ll probably come up with thousands if not millions of hits. This is not the kind of person you want handling one of the biggest affairs of your life. Also, be wary of people who say they can complete your divorce for a flat fee of, let’s say $250. In the law, as with these other things, you get what you pay for.
We suggest you contact our office as soon as you realize you’re ready to file for divorce, so we get the process started for you.
