Anyone going through a divorce wants to know, “How long will a divorce take?” This is a simple question with a complicated answer, as there are many factors unique to each proceeding that will determine the divorce timeframe. If you would like to schedule a free consultation with our experienced Jamestown family law attorneys, please contact our office.
How Long Will a Divorce Take? | Paperwork
There are a variety of different factors that determine how long a divorce will take. This includes obtaining and serving the proper paperwork. If everything is done in a timely manner, we can quickly file the divorce paperwork with the County Clerk. The timeframe also depends on how the defendant is going to be served. If they already have an attorney of their own, we can usually have their attorney serve the papers to their defendant. If not, then we can have them stop by our office, upon which there may be a 20-day waiting period before divorce proceedings can begin.
How Long Will a Divorce Take? | Reviewing Stage
If the defendant does not have an attorney and is not willing to come to our office, then we must have them served by the Civil Department or the county sheriffs. Once again, there is a 20-day period for the defendant to hire an attorney or represent themselves. If they do nothing, then we can file a default divorce. We quickly put together all necessary paperwork, send it to the courts, and then wait approximately four to six weeks for them to review and sign off on it. If the defendant hires an attorney, then the entire process will be much longer and will proceed as any normal trial typically would.
Heavily litigated divorces can take anywhere from 18 months up to two years to resolve. However, the average divorce case will take about nine months to settle. If you have any further questions, please contact the experienced Jamestown divorce attorneys at Humble Law Offices today to schedule a free consultation.
