Divorce Time Lines

"How Long Will My Divorce Take?" is a question we are asked over and over again.

The answer depends upon you .... and your spouse.

If you are motivated and you and you spouse agree to everything, you can file for divorce in Georgia 31-days after the Complaint for Divorce and Acknowledgement of Service have been filed. Think about it.  You could be divorced 31-days from now.

If you are simply dividing assets and have no children, it can take a lot longer to reach agreement but. as soon as you do, a motion can be filed with the Court to finalize the divorce.  All you need is for you and your spouse to reach an agreement.  Sometimes that is easier said than done.

If you have children, you will have to work through all of the custody, parenting time and child support issues that arise with cases involving children.  And the Court will require that a Guardian ad Litem be appointed to make a recommendation concerning the best interests of the children if you do not agree. A Guardian ad Litem's involvement in a case case delay the case for months or even years in some cases depending on their investigation.  And they add substantially to the cost of the case.

Lawyers can't waive a magic wand to bring divorce cases to an end.  The parties themselves either have to reach agreement or go through the litigation process--from discovery to mediation to trial and that is a long, expensive and tedious process. So when you are asking yourself how long the divorce will take, think about what you can do to help reach agreement with your spouse and minimize the time it takes to get divorced.