Divorces aren’t the easiest thing to go through. In fact, they’re regularly cited as one of the most stressful life events you can go through. And some divorces can stretch longer than anticipated and last for years. And this isn’t always due to a single major disagreement but delays that build up along the way.
It’s things like missing paperwork, unnecessary court appearances, and slow decision-making that all add time to the process and drag it out longer than it needs to be.
While not all divorce holdups can be resolved, there are some things you can do to help you avoid a long-drawn-out divorce and have everything resolved sooner rather than later.
Get Records Organized Before Filing
One of the best things you can do prior to filing for a divorce is to get all of your financial statements properly recorded and other relevant documentation ready before you do anything else. This can help you avoid the common delays that come from scrambling around to compile everything once you have filed.
Courts and attorneys both move faster when they have the necessary information available upfront, and they’re not waiting on documents that should have been ready from the state.
Keep a checklist, if this helps, of what you might need, and tick it off when you have it so you don’t overlook anything.
File for an Uncontested Divorce Where Possible
A divorce that requires the court to resolve any disputes over property, custody, or support takes considerably longer than one where both parties can reach an agreement personally.
An uncontested divorce allows both sides to finalize terms without a contested hearing, which significantly shortens the overall timeline compared to a case that has to work through disagreements in court.
This isn’t always available in every situation, but it’s worth checking if this is an option for you to help get things moving faster.
Use Mediation Instead of Litigation
Litigation involves scheduling around court availability, which adds months to a case simply due to how backed up the court’s calendar is. And it doesn’t matter how quickly both parties are ready to move forward; it’s simply a case of waiting for a slot to fit you into.
Mediation allows both parties to work through disagreements with a neutral third party on a timeline that isn’t dependent on court scheduling, and it often resolves issues in a fraction of the time litigation would take. And it can also help to keep costs lower as there are fewer billable hours spent waiting on court dates or preparing for hearings that mediation avoids entirely.
Don’t Wait to Hire an Attorney
If you wait to bring in legal representation until a problem has already developed, you’re already working a few steps behind where the process should be. Then you’ll likely find yourself forced into making decisions that could have been made calmly if you’d just had more time to think them through.
Hiring an attorney early gives you time to properly prepare documentation and understand the likely timeline as well as address potential issues before they turn into bigger disputes.
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