Opting for an Uncontested Divorce

What does it mean to have an uncontested divorce in Pennsylvania?

It means that the parties work together to settle all of the issues which might arise during the divorce and avoid the time, expense and family devastation which often accompanies a court battle.

In a contested divorce, the parties often have to take part in long, expensive information gathering missions, attend court hearings and motions and potentially participate and testify in a trial. For each step, the parties must pay his or her attorney to prepare for and draft the court documents required for each step. And ultimately, when a judge who knows very little about the parties' actual lives makes the decisions about these parties' future, it is not uncommon that nobody is happy with the outcome. On the other hand, parties can craft a settlement that makes sense for their lives and for the specifics of their situation.

But, maybe more importantly, it will help to maintain a workable relationship between the spouses. As is common in most divorces, the issuance of a Decree in Divorce is not the last the two spouses will see of one another. If there are children, there will be a lifetime of birthday parties, weddings, and grand babies. Even without children, there are almost always lasting connections. But, if the spouses are able to be civil, if not friendly, it saves everyone from the stress, anxiety and awkwardness of having two adversaries in one place.

How can family law attorneys help?

Separating and divorcing is a stressful time. Not only are spouses navigating a new reality in his or her personal lives, but now they are tasked with negotiating through the laws and procedures of the legal system. This is where a family law attorney can step in to help. First, a family law attorney can give a party a realistic idea of what outcomes he or she might expect if this did go through the courts. This will help inform a party as to the realistic outline of a settlement. And then the family law attorney will help negotiate with the other side with this outline in mind. When things get tense between spouses, the family law attorneys can step in to negotiate and ease the stress.

With the help of family law attorneys, parties can spend less time fighting and more time establishing the foundations of a new life. In the meantime, the stress, time, money, and emotional scars which often accompany a contested divorce can be avoided.