Divorce Process: Step-by-step

The divorce process has several steps that must be followed for the court to approve of the Dissolution of Marriage. Missing any of these steps can prolong the court case and potentially prevent you from being granted a divorce.

Petition for Divorce

When a person is seeking a divorce, they will approach an OKC divorce attorney and have a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage prepared. This petition will then be filed with the court, and a copy of it officially served to the other party.

Discovery

Once the other party has been notified, both sides of the issue will begin to collect documents and evidence for their side of the case. This may include financial information, debt information, asset information, and health information.

Your OKC divorce attorney will also interview the other party and be present when you are interviewed. These interviews help set the basis for the negotiation portion of the divorce.

Negotiations

During the negotiations, both parties will try to work out the following:

– Division of assets

– Division of debts

– Spousal support

– Child support if applicable

– Child custody arrangements

If an agreement can be made on all of these issues, the divorce will proceed to the waiting period. If an agreement cannot be reached, court hearings will take place.

Court Hearings

negotiations, it may be necessary to go before the court to decide the issue. If this happens, it can prolong the time before the divorce is granted.

Waiting Period

The waiting period will depend on a few factors. If it is a non-contested divorce, and there are no children involved in the marriage, the divorce can be granted as soon as 10 days after the initial filing.

If the divorce involves children but is non-contested in any way, the divorce may be finalized in about 30 days after the petition was initially filed. However, this will depend on the court. Some divorces, even when non-contested, can take longer.

If the divorce is contested, it can take an extensive period of time to settle the marriage.

Final Resolution

Once everything has been agreed upon, and the court has approved the terms of the Dissolution of Marriage, you will be granted a Final Resolution. This Final Resolution will officially end the marriage, and the divorce is complete.