Unfortunately, there are many negative connotations when it comes to the word “divorce.” Maybe you have personally went through a divorce in the past or maybe you know someone who has. When people think of divorce, it is not uncommon for them to also think of words like fighting, arguing, lawyers, judges, money, time, etc. However, not every marriage ends on bad terms and many people are able to resolve their issues with very little court involvement. An uncontested divorce means that both parties agree to all of the terms of the divorce. For example, they agree on the division of marital property and the division of marital debt. In cases involving minor children, they agree on the allocation of decision-making responsibilities and parenting time. In most cases, this saves time and money. These parties usually sign documents known as Marital Settlement Agreements and Allocation Judgments/Parenting Agreements. It is typical when these parties only appear before a Judge on one court date, which is when the Judgment for Dissolution is entered.
We represent many clients in uncontested divorces. Some parties may have already agreed on the terms of the divorce before reaching out to our office. In those cases, we draft the agreement in the proper format, address any important missing terms and work on the fine details of the agreement.
Other people come to us and their only agreement, at that time, is that they both want to end their marriage. In those cases, we work with our client to figure out what they agree to and we negotiate those terms.
Keep in mind that in an uncontested divorce, we only represent one of the parties. The other party either has their own attorney or represents themselves pro-se.
If you are interested in moving forward with an uncontested divorce, it is highly recommended that you first speak to an experienced attorney, especially before signing any documents, to ensure that the terms you agree to are accurately reflected in the paperwork to be presented to the Court.