If you and your spouse have recently decided to divorce, you may be concerned about the amount of time it will take to resolve your case. If your divorce progresses too quickly, you may feel that you will not have enough time to resolve important matters before you transition into single life. If your divorce moves too slowly, you may be worried about the cost that a long process will inspire.
Thankfully, you have a great deal of influence over how quickly or slowly your divorce will progress. In fact, the two most influential factors in the speed of your divorce process are you and your spouse. If you can settle your differences relatively amicably and quickly, your divorce will resolve more quickly than it will if you fight over numerous issues or cannot resolve fundamental differences in a timely manner.
Amicable divorce speeds
There are many issues that could impact the speed of your divorce process. Your state may impose certain waiting periods before your divorce decree can be finalized, even if you and your spouse can get your affairs in order quickly. But generally, if your divorce is going to be fairly amicable, you can work with your attorney to resolve your case relatively quickly. Generally, amicable divorces take a matter of weeks or a few months to resolve, depending on your unique circumstances.
Contentious divorce speeds
If you and your spouse have fundamental differences or need to work through numerous disagreements, your divorce may take longer than a few months. It is therefore imperative that you figure out what your priorities are in regards to your divorce process and stick to them during negotiations. Each time your attorney needs to help you resolve a disagreement, time, energy and money are spent.
If your spouse is making your divorce process especially lengthy and difficult, do not be afraid to speak with your attorney about ways in which you can help to speed up the process.