What Happens In Divorce Court Hearings

The divorce process is hard in itself, but you might want to know about the things that happen during the court hearings. Ensure to hire a divorce attorney who can give you an idea of what happens, but if you want to know immediately, keep on reading to find out more.

Witness Testimony

A divorce hearing can be quite similar in nature to a normal trial, but instead, families are dealing with issues that are the root causes of divorce. Usually, in a divorce hearing, the parties from both sides will bring forth witnesses to support the claims made by the party, which is the main ground for divorce.

The judge will listen to the testimonies and then a thorough study is done of the situation the two parties are in. Everything is discussed, from the length of the marriage, the number of children you both have, and the financial assets you both have in your names. After that, the agreement is done.

Financial Agreements

After the testimonies of the witnesses and the sealing of the verdict, you will be called to court on another date to go over the financial division. If you have been married for a long time, or even have assets in both names, then these need to be divided equally or provisionally, depending on the state or country you live in.

In some states, the assets are divided equally, whereas, in other states, they are divided among the two parties according to their financial situation. Whatever the case may be, you will need to discuss these details with your attorney, before making any decisions.

Child Custody

During the final verdict, the judge will also grant custody of the child to either one parent, or suggest co-parenting, in case the child is less than 18 years of age. If the child is 18, then she/he can make her/his own decision as to which parent they want to live with.

The decision can be appealed after the final hearing, but this will set you up for another court hearing and some trials until the issue is resolved. This can be time-consuming and it also comes at a cost, so you need to make your decisions wisely.

Appeals

Appeals can be made after the divorce hearings. The appeals are usually made on the grounds that one or both parties don’t see eye to eye with the court and its decision and they want to challenge these verdicts in court. Obviously, this means presenting more evidence to convince the court to overturn their decision and consider the case again.

An appeal can also be made due to the unjust division of properties and assets and even the custody of children. You will need to present a strong case to represent your appeal in court and to convince the judge or jury that the decision made by them is unjust.

Provision Of The Divorce Certificate

After the divorce hearing, if there are no oppositions against the decision given by the court, then the process moves toward the final step, which is making the divorce certificate. The divorce certificate is a certificate from the court that the two people are no longer married and they have no right to appeal this decision anymore. First, a divorce decree is issued, and later you can get a divorce certificate.

Obviously, the court does give you time to go over the decision and to apply for an appeal if you want, but if there is no response after the given time, then the procedure is moved further into the provision of this certificate.

Is A Trial Worth It?

Usually, divorce cases will go to court and the judge will be a mediator if the issues and dissolution of marriage are impossible to do through talks between the two parties. There can be many reasons for this. Either the couple is too volatile and won’t sit down to have a mature conversation or there is some ill intent from one or both sides.

Divorce without the involvement of judges and lawyers is ideal since it is not that expensive and mentally and physically draining.

Conclusion

There you have it! It’s good to know what kinds of things are discussed in a court hearing for divorce, so you can be better prepared for what’s to come next. Look for the best divorce lawyers Fairfax VA to improve your odds of winning the case.

How To Prepare For Divorce As A Woman

Divorces and separation can be hard for all of the parties involved, but for a woman, it is the most challenging and adapting aspect and the help of the best divorce lawyers is paramount. Here are some things you can do to mentally and legally prepare yourself for a divorce.

Keep Separated Finances

This is probably the most important and first thing you need to do before you even start the divorce proceedings. You need to immediately separate your own finances from that of your soon-to-be ex-spouse. You want to keep your earnings safe so that you can pay your way through the legal process of a divorce.

Divorce and anything legal can be super expensive so you need to make sure that you and your children are financially stable in the long run. Try to have your bank accounts, savings, and all miscellaneous finances separate from your spouse as soon as you feel like you are separating.

Track The Legal Meetings

This can be a good record for the legal meetings and can show your seriousness in the situation. If you tend to forget dates, then it’s good to have a separate planner or calendar where you can mark all of the important dates, like all the legal meetings, the verdict dates, the custody, etc. That way, you are not going blindly into anything and you have good knowledge of how things are going at a steady pace. Try to keep track of these things as they are important to remember in future meetings.

Give Yourself Time

It’s important that you keep your emotions in mind too. You can’t just lock them up and keep them wedged inside you. You need an outlet to let out all of the emotions you are feeling as you go through this difficult process.

Try to talk to a friend or if you can’t talk to someone, write it out in a journal. It’s good to pour out all of your thoughts and get them out of your head. This will keep you level-headed throughout the process of divorce and you will not let emotions make the worst decisions of your life.

Organization Is Key

Divorces can involve a lot of paperwork and that is very important to keep a record of. You need to work on your organizational skills if you are not a naturally organized person. You need to keep all of the important papers and files according to dates in a filing cabinet. This will be a good record of the proceedings and you will have everything at your disposal. You will not be considered as someone who doesn’t know what they’re dealing with as you have all of the information organized and safe in your possession.

Relationships During Divorce?

This can be tricky, especially for women going through a divorce. Although it doesn’t really affect the divorce proceedings, your case is stronger if you are not in an active relationship at the time of the divorce. This can make the other party accuse you of going for a divorce because of this relationship.

Things can get messy in this way and you can end up losing a good chunk of the proceeding deal if you are in a relationship, especially as a woman. Try to pursue a serious and positive relationship after the divorce has been finalized and you have things already settled and done.

Make Good Use Of Your Time

Rather than sulking around and having a pity party, it’s time to make good use of your newly free routine. Think of things you wanted to do for so long and do them. If you want to change your career path, complete your studies, start a business or do anything relevant, then this is the right time for you. This will not only take your mind off things but you will also feel more productive and you will feel like your time is being used more. Constructively.

Final Word

These things will make the process flow a lot smoother and you will always be in safe waters so the other party can’t object to your actions and whatnot. Consult with a family lawyer Fairfax VA to prepare for divorce completely.

4 Huge Benefits Of Getting An Uncontested Divorce

Marriage is a lifelong bliss (not necessarily). Marriages also fail and end up in separation or divorce. There may be tons of reasons for this but the major problem comes when you get divorced as you have to go through trials, fights, paperwork and what not which comes along with stress and major financial distress. Some of it can be subsided by having a good family attorney at your side.

Marriage is easy but divorce comes with difficulties. But there is an easy way out. If you and your spouse stay on good terms and agree on issues that are likely to create problems, then you can file for an uncontested divorce. In this kind of divorce you would not need to contest your divorce in court, or go for trials and hearings or are under the mercy of the judge, but you and your spouse can mutually and fairly agree on major things such as alimony, child and parental support and expenses, debt division, property and asset division and the meeting of the children. Marriage ends respectfully and peacefully for both the parties.

Less Cost

The major benefit of an uncontested divorce is that there are less costs. When you go for a contested divorce then there are costs of the lawyer, the mediator, the paperwork, for the trials and if there are issues created by any one of the spouses then the costs increase a lot.

Contested divorce can get really expensive and may cause a financial strain in your pockets later in your life and that is the reason why 90% of the Americans are opting for an uncontested divorce to save their hard earned money. If you are able to sort out the issues with your partner then it will surely benefit you in terms of the cost.

The Process Is Fast

In the case of an uncontested divorce there are no trials, no hearings at the court, no frequent visits to the lawyer, hence there is less time wasted. In a contested divorce the divorce lawyer will call you for many meetings, for issues related to debt and property settlement, child support and child custody and many times one of the schools may try to create more issues which may further prolong the process of the divorce.

Many times the divorce may take years and years which leads to a waste of time and further stress. Uncontested divorce is a fast and quick process in which there are no trials of hearings, but only official paperwork and documents involved which take almost half the time when compared to contested divorce.

Less Stress And More Emotional Wellbeing

In a contested divorce both the spouses are stressed out as they do not know whose favor the decision will be taken in. The judge will decide the final verdict based on the allegations and hearings of both the parties. You will not know till the end how much child support you need to pay or about the division of the property and assets and who gets the child custody. This will take a toll on your emotional and mental health and also your children as they will also be dragged in this and they may also have to choose sides which will be difficult for them.

In an uncontested divorce everything is agreed on mutually with both parties consent and you know what to expect so it is a peaceful and not a stressful situation.

Your Private Life Stays Confidential

In a contested divorce, your relationship, your marriage, your flaws and your divorce is out in the public in front of everyone. In the case of an uncontested divorce your private life is not exposed hence there are no complications created by any external factor. Your negotiations and terms of divorce are not out in the open except the paperwork and documents which you filed for divorce legally are publicly accessible.

More and more people are now opting for an uncontested divorce especially those who had short marriages, no children or no property to divide because of the quick process. Moreover, uncontested divorce lawyers Fairfax VA are also helpful in the process and typically charge less as there is nothing to fight over.