Tips for Speeding Up Your Divorce
Once you decide to get a divorce, you want to get the process over as quickly as possible. Of course, that’s not always feasible, especially if you and your soon-to-be former spouse don’t agree on anything. However, you do have some control over how long the divorce process takes. The experts at Simple Divorce offer these tips for speeding up your divorce.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Take the time to learn about the divorce laws in your jurisdiction so that you don’t have to spend time learning them the hard way— through experience. Divorce laws can be confusing, but if you don’t know the rules, you will only prolong the process, especially if you have to backtrack to re-do a filing or meet with your mediator more often than necessary.
Determine What You Want
You can’t successfully negotiate a divorce unless you know what you want. And not knowing what you want will drag the proceedings out because you have to hammer out every aspect of the divorce. If you know what you want ahead of time, you might be surprised at what your former partner will concede to you. Even if they don’t concede, you’ll have a place to start negotiations. You might not get everything you want, but compromise requires a starting point.
Knowing what you want in the divorce is particularly important with regard to the house and children. Those are often the biggest two sticking points in a divorce, so determine whether you want to stay in the marital house, have the other person stay there, or sell it and split the profits. In terms of custody, determine how much time is acceptable for you to have with them before the process begins.
Consider an Uncontested Divorce
Many jurisdictions require a married couple to separate for a specific amount of time before a divorce will be granted. However, if you and your spouse agree on all aspects of the divorce, including the division of assets, custody arrangements, and support, an uncontested divorce may be the way to go. You likely won’t have to go through a separation period and can get divorced without involving a judge.
Communicate
Communication can be tough between divorcing spouses, especially if that was one of the reasons for the divorce in the first place. But communication is key to getting through the divorce process as quickly as possible. Let your spouse know what you want and why you want it so they understand where you’re coming from. If they realize that you aren’t just trying to make their life more difficult and that there is a real reason for your requests, they are more likely to agree to them.
At the same time, listen to your spouse about what they want and why they want it. Assume good intentions and try to view the situation from their perspective. Again, this is easier said than done in many cases, but doing so can make the divorce less acrimonious, and therefore, quicker.
Speeding Up Your Divorce: Ways to Streamline the Process
Speeding up your divorce process is usually good for everyone involved (especially children) because it lessens the traumatic impact it can have on emotions and because it allows everyone to heal and move on. Use the tips here to avoid getting bogged down in the process and get on with the rest of your life.
