While an amicable divorce is the best
approach there are times when couples are compelled to battle it out in court.
There are several reasons why a couple could end up in court. One of the major
reasons is when both partners cannot resolve issues related to alimony and
child support or if a collaborative divorce doesn’t materialize.
There is an old disco song called The
Heat is On which means that something is heating up and becoming exciting. If
your marriage is the opposite of this song’s theme then it looks like you may
need a divorce lawyer soon. You should know about this site. If your marriage is cold and growing
colder, you need to be ready.
No
Support!
A spouse may end up having to approach
the court if he/she is physically or emotionally abused even if they have a
supreme divorce lawyer. In some cases, a spouse may wish to bring to the
court’s notice that they have not received court-ordered support from their
spouse. Some may also approach the court to modify an existing court order
after a judgment, if circumstances have changed.
No matter what the reason, divorce
lawyers believe it is possible to make court appearances as
smooth as possible. The objective is to learn the basics of motions and trials,
the two types of legal actions that could get your case to court. For the most
part, motions are made either prior to or after a trial where a spouse may wish
to obtain a court order until the time of trial. In other cases, motions are
made to either modify or enforce a court order already in effect.
The trial is the most important phase
where there could be arguments and counter arguments by divorce attorneys on
both sides. A trial could last anywhere from an hour to several months or more
depending on various factors. The judge will decide on issues that may not have
been resolved during the trial.
Reasons
for Pretrial Motions
Pretrial motions are held if a divorcing
couple does not agree on some issues and a temporary resolution is necessary
until the trial is held. This could be to resolve issues such as the amount of
child support or alimony pending the trial or which spouse has the right to
remain in the family home or control how the sale and proceeds from the house
should be handled.
Other issues that may necessitate a
pretrial motion include child custody to decide how the children should divide
time between the parents, and other related issues. At a pretrial motion you
will be required to explain to the judge why you either require or oppose a pretrial
order.
Uncontested
and Contested Divorce Trials
There are two types of trials,
uncontested and contested. The former is obviously when both spouses reach an
agreement on all issues related to the divorce while contested divorce trials
are held when spouses disagree on some or all of the issues.
A trial in an uncontested divorce is
relatively simple where some states allow it to be handled by mail while others
may have specific rules. In most cases, the filing spouse will state a reason
such as ‘irreconcilable differences’, which is sufficient to be granted a
divorce in some states. It is too bad people rush into a marriage but it does
happen.
Contested divorce trials are more
complicated since it often involves not only complying with state laws but also
providing evidence based on what the spouses disagree on. Your divorce lawyer
will work with you on this. The court will schedule a settlement conference to
be held before a judge or mediator. Dates for contested trials are allocated a
month in advance. The time between filing and the trial can vary from 3 months
to even a year or more depending on the backlog of cases.
No comments:
Post a Comment