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What You Should Do Before Filing For Divorce In Charlotte, North Carolina

Your decision to get a divorce was likely not arrived at lightly. Ending a marriage is a significant life event, and you may have spent months or years weighing the possibility. While you are now ready to begin a new phase of your life, you should know that filing for divorce is rarely a simple process.

At our firm, Kennedy Law Associates, our Charlotte divorce attorneys work with clients as they enter their divorce proceedings, and we advise them to first do the following:

One Year Of Separation

If you have decided to divorce, you likely want to separate as soon as possible. To be eligible to divorce in North Carolina, you and your spouse must live separately for one year. Be aware that reconciliation and moving back in together will restart the clock and extend the divorce process.

Planning For The Paperwork

There is a residency requirement to file for divorce in North Carolina. Either you or your spouse must have been state residents for six months before filing for divorce.

The formal divorce process starts with filing a complaint for absolute divorce, as well as a few additional documents with the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Court’s office. The timing and preparation of this paperwork require consideration. You may want to talk with your spouse first before he or she is served with paperwork. Or you may be responding to service of divorce papers, which requires faster action.

The filing stage is just the start to the forms and paperwork. You will be asked to gather information about assets, bank accounts, insurance coverage for children and a variety of other documentation. Attention to detail is required when analyzing your situation and then discussing available options. Just one mistake on a line of a form can derail the process or even result in an unfair property award.

Get Off To The Right Start

If you would like to know more about how to get started with a divorce in Charlotte, North Carolina, the attorneys at Kennedy Law Associates can answer your questions. To schedule an initial domestic consultation with a divorce lawyer who can assess where you stand, call our office at 704-512-0619. You can also send us an email by filling out our easy-to-use contact form.