Amicable Divorce

There are many couples who wish to finalize their divorce amicably. This is the best way to finalize a divorce and is less costly than a ‘contested’ divorce. An ‘uncontested or amicable’ divorce is one in which all issues are agreed upon and addressed by signing and notarizing a Marital Settlement Agreement. Issues are things like:

1. spousal or child support
2. division of assets and debts
3. child custody

A Marital Settlement Agreement will avoid a court appearance in most instances.

If there are no issues, then a response by the respondent may not be necessary. This would result in a default divorce which, in most cases, does not require a court appearance. The attorney will advise.

It should be emphasized that an ‘uncontested or amicable’ divorce still requires legal advice and oversight. If there are issues, a legally correct Marital Settlement Agreement must be prepared.

The process of getting a divorce finalized through the court system is not easy and requires a number of steps that are both time consuming and complex. This is true, even if the divorce is ‘amicable or uncontested’.