Se Habla Español | Nous Parlons Français

Blog

You are here:

What makes a divorce take longer?

On Behalf of | Jun 19, 2024 | Divorce

When people are going through a divorce, their goal is often to get through the process as quickly as they can. They want to put the whole thing behind them and move forward with their life. 

As such, they are interested in considering the different issues that can make a divorce take longer. If you are in this position, here are a few things to keep in mind. With the proper focus, you may be able to speed up your divorce.

How fast your spouse responds

To begin with, your spouse generally has around three weeks to respond to the divorce petition. If they want, they can delay the process simply by waiting until the last minute or refusing to respond at all. The case can’t move forward until they either respond or exceed the deadline. 

Whether or not you can use mediation

Mediation is often faster than litigation because both you and your spouse will work together. But not all couples are in a position where this is possible. If you have to go through litigation and get the court involved, it’s going to take longer. 

Significant conflict over the results

Finally, divorce takes longer when there are many conflicts between partners about the results they seek. For instance, maybe you and your spouse are parents, but you can’t agree on how custody should be divided. Or perhaps there is a long-term debate over what should happen to a family business or another major asset. Things like this can take months on their own, adding to the length of the overall divorce process.

As you go through a divorce, it often helps to have an experienced legal team that understands how to move forward and put your best interests first.