The importance of cooperation during divorce proceedings escalates when dealing with assets and child custody. Although many couples face disagreement throughout divorce settlements, collaboration may lead to a quicker end to the emotional process.
Usually, the longer the divorce and the more disagreement involved in settlement brings more excessive fees. Heading to court to argue property disputes and fight for custody arrangements may even create significant animosity throughout the proceedings. If you and your spouse can agree, with the help of your attorneys, on elements involving your property and children, you may avoid spending thousands on coming to a fair conclusion. Uncontested divorces may allow you and your ex-spouse to discuss your plans freely and offer monetary benefits, and the rapid settlement process may leave you and your family content with the outcome without heading to court.
Louisiana uncontested and contested divorces
Two types of divorce exist: Uncontested and contested.
An uncontested divorce implies that you and your spouse agree on all elements of your divorce settlement. You must wait 365 days after separation before filing to divorce your spouse in Louisiana. You will fill out specific papers and serve them to your spouse, but most often, you will discuss all major issues beforehand. You want to hire an experienced attorney to aid you in determining the best split. You will decide items such as:
- Custody arrangements
- Who will receive the family home
- Who will receive cars
- How other assets will be split
A contested divorce, although a more common type of divorce due to disagreements with children and property, involves the use of a court and judges to help settle proceedings. A judge will look at relationships between children and parents, your shared assets and your ability to attend to your children’s needs. Attorneys will help form arguments to aid in your receiving of the best divorce outcome.
Uncontested divorce benefits
Aside from the monetary savings that an uncontested divorce provides, you may see emotional benefits and give your children the opportunity to recover quickly from separating parents. No prolonged trial and presentation of evidence or discovery may occur, and a judge may quickly accept your filing of an uncontested divorce.
The process of approval of an uncontested divorce involves a judge’s review of your agreed-upon child custody arrangement and split of your property. If you and your spouse collaborate and agree to the terms, a judge may quickly determine that the custody arrangement is in your children’s best interest and the property split is fair.
When dealing with contested and uncontested divorces, it is wise to hire an experienced individual to ensure that you have provided all necessary documents and filed correctly. Mistakes are often made when filing court documents if you are not familiar with the process. If you and your spouse agree and can collaborate to settle your divorce, you may save significant time and money by filing an uncontested divorce.