Family law attorneys are the most widely used lawyers in the United States. These law firms have lawyers who are well-versed in all legal matters involving changes in family relationships from prenuptial agreements to child adoption. For most family law firms, the most common case type handled is divorce. Sadly, a significant portion of marriages end in divorce. In 2022, 14.5 out of every 1,000 marriages ended in divorce in the United States.
Divorce is never easy, but an experienced family law attorney in Chandler can help by guiding you through the process and protecting your rights and best interests throughout all divorce-related legal proceedings.
If you file for divorce first, you become the petitioner in the process. If your spouse has already filed and you’ve been served papers, you are the respondent. Either way, you need an attorney to ensure that all filings are flawlessly executed. Your family law attorney will draft the petition for divorce listing the terms you are seeking for important aspects of divorce in Arizona such as child custody, child support, and the fair division of your marital property. If you’ve been served a divorce petition from your spouse, your divorce lawyer will consult with you about your desired responses to your spouse’s requested terms and file your response within the 20 days allowed to respond under Arizona Law.
If both spouses agree to all terms, your attorney will help you with an uncontested divorce—the simplest and least costly divorce in Arizona. If you or your spouse disputes one or more terms, then the process moves into a stage of negotiations and mediation to attempt to resolve disputes.
A family law attorney is well-versed in helping divorcing spouses resolve their disputes. It’s always best to work out contentious issues to avoid a lengthy and expensive divorce battle whenever possible. Your divorce attorney will set up meetings with your spouse and their lawyer to attempt to find acceptable compromises on the following:
When spouses cannot resolve their disputed terms through their attorneys, an experienced divorce attorney typically facilitates one or more meetings with a professional mediator—a neutral third-party expert who helps divorcing spouses navigate through communication and compromise to resolve their disputed issues.
When negotiations and mediation fail to resolve disputes and contentious issues, a judge must make the final decisions and the case goes to court. If your divorce requires litigation, a skilled family law attorney will help prepare evidence and testimony to present your arguments, concisely and convincingly to the judge to seek a favorable outcome. A family lawyer will ensure the protection of your rights throughout the court process so you walk away with your fair share of the marital assets and the best possible outcome for other terms such as child custody, child support, and spousal support. An attorney also helps with name changes after the divorce.
It’s important to have knowledgeable legal counsel throughout the process of divorce in Arizona. Your Chandler divorce attorney ensures that you miss no deadlines and that all paperwork is filed promptly and correctly to streamline the complex process as much as possible.
No one should go it alone in the divorce process. The outcome of a settlement or court order has implications for the rest of your life and impacts children and others in the family.
