Going through a divorce is one of the most difficult things that a person can go through in their life. It is a time of upheaval and change, and it can be hard to know where to start. However, the steps are straightforward.
1. Filing divorce papers
The first step in the divorce process is to file the required paperwork with your local court. This paperwork may include a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, an Affidavit of Income and Expenses, a Schedule A/B: Property Division or any other forms that are relevant to your specific case.
2. Serving notice on your spouse
Once you have filed the paperwork, your next step is to serve a copy of it to your spouse. You can either do it by hand-delivering or mailing the papers. In either case, both parties must sign an Affidavit of Service before the court.
3. Waiting for a response from your spouse
After you have served the papers, your spouse has 30 days to respond. If they do not respond, the case will go forward without their input. However, if they do respond, the next step is to negotiate and reach an agreement on property division and custody if you have children.
If you and your spouse are unable to reach an agreement, then you will need to go through mediation or arbitration. If no agreement is reached, then your case goes to trial where a judge makes the decision for both of you.
4. Finalizing and signing papers
After reaching an agreement, you must file copies of your finalized paperwork with the court clerk’s office. You must also sign an Acceptance of Service form before the court can schedule a hearing date to finalize your divorce.
If you’re going through a divorce, these are the steps you’ll need to take. If your spouse does not cooperate, don’t worry; you can still get through this process through the court system.