How Long Does It Take To Finalize My Divorce?
Divorce cases are always unique. While many of the same issues are involved the facts are always very specific to each family. This means someone else’s divorce proceedings may not be an accurate guide for how the process will play out in your situation. Our attorney at Winter Garden Family Law Firm can discuss your facts and your needs and help provide a reasonable estimated for how long the process may take to complete.
A Timeline For A Florida Divorce
The general process for a divorce case is as follows:
- Petition for Dissolution of Marriage is filed;
- Petition and other necessary pleadings are sent to a process server to be formally served on other party, usually takes a week or two;
- The other party has 20 days from the date of service to file an Answer to the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage;
- From that same date of service, both parties shall exchange financial disclosures (Financial Affidavits, bank statements, credit card statements, retirement information, pay stubs, tax information, etc.) within 45 days;
- After the financial exchange, we may spend time trying to settle the matter if settlement seems feasible;
- If we cannot settle, we are required to attend a formal Mediation to attempt to settle;
- If we do not settle at Mediation then your case may proceed to trial where a judge will decide on the outstanding issues.
- Please note, cases may settle at any time during the divorce proceedings.
Many, Not All
Many cases that settle are completed in about 6-9 months. Cases that go to trial generally take 1-2 years to complete. Your actual time frame will depend on a great many factors, unique to your family.
After the initial formal proceedings and deadlines, the amount of time needed to finalize a divorce case is completely dependent on the actions of the parties, including whether the parties are able to settle their matters. Our attorney can explain these factors and help you efficiently resolve your divorce.
Contact Us
We understand how confusing and emotionally trying a divorce can be. Call our Winter Garden office at 407-499-2082 or use our online form to make an appointment.