We are often asked “How long will our Carlsbad divorce take?” There are many factors which will determine the actual time frame of your divorce beginning with the mandatory minimum 6 month “cooling off” period. California law requires at least 6 months to pass from the date of the filing of the divorce petition before the divorce can become “final.” This allows time for parties to reconsider, seek counseling if they choose and reconcile if possible.
Therefore, the shortest time frame is six months (before you are legally able to re-marry). According to a San Diego Family Court Judge in a recent interview, most cases filed without an attorney take longer than a year to complete.
Before you divorce can be completed all issues contained within the “Separation Agreement” must be completely resolved. This includes everything from spousal support to division of community property, and if you have children parenting time and child support.
Therefore, the answer to your question of “How long will our Carlsbad divorce take” is directly proportional to the amount of disagreement between you and your former spouse on all of the issues contained within the separation agreement, and your ability to work through them to resolution. It is interesting to note, this is also the barometer for how much your divorce is going to cost.
All paperwork must be in order and ready for the Judge to approve in order to finalize a divorce. Many couples appear before the Court believing they have it pretty much worked out only to face a bit of a scolding by the Judge and months of additional delay while they work on paperwork and resolve more issues.
This is why less than half of those who attempt to file their own divorce without an attorney actually succeed. If you want to ensure the fastest completion of a divorce we invite you to review the strong recommendations of former clients and the legal industry and contact the Certified Family Law Specialists at Burke & Domercq or call 760-389-3927 to schedule an appointment with one of our attorneys.
We can provide specific insight into your unique circumstances and the experience of decades of service in Carlsbad divorce cases. We will discuss all issues of your divorce, and your goals and objectives for each aspect of the case.
Our expertise and experience helps to provide ideas to resolve challenges and areas of disagreement, as well as insight into what has worked for others facing similar disagreements.
In the end, there are many factors which will ultimately answer your question “How long will our Carlsbad divorce take?” Your ability to work through the various challenges and areas of dispute with your former spouse to reach agreement and the skill of your Carlsbad divorce attorney will have a significant impact on the time it takes to complete your divorce.