A divorce can be a very emotional time for everyone involved. This can make it difficult for both parties to see eye-to-eye when it comes time to divide marital property, debt, and child custody, among other issues. When this happens, a divorce is considered “contested.”
A contested divorce in Tampa takes a lot more time and effort to work through than an uncontested divorce. This is because when a divorce is contested, the spouses will have to go through numerous additional steps before everything is finalized. Some of these steps include:
- Preparing, Filing, & Serving a Divorce Petition
- Responding to the Petition
- Interviewing & Hiring a Divorce Attorney
- Engaging in a “Divorce Discovery” to Gather Information from Your Spouse & Third-Party Witnesses
- Pre-Trial Legal Motions & Hearings
- Settlement Proposals & Negotiations between Divorce Attorneys
- Complete a Court Trial if a Settlement Fails
- File an Appeal if You Dispute the Trial Judge’s Decisions
It is essential to understand that contested divorces are very complex. While much of the process is designed to encourage the two parties to work together, you should make sure you have an experienced attorney by your side who can inform you of your legal rights and help protect your assets.