Timeline For A Divorce In New York

One of the most common questions presented to a New York family law attorney is: How long does it take to get divorced? Unfortunately, this is a difficult question to answer because it depends on the complexity of the issues involved in your divorce, as well as the other spouse’s willingness to cooperate with you.

Work With Your Ex-Spouse

One of the first things you should do to determine how long your divorce might take is to speak with your former spouse. Even if you cannot resolve all the New York divorce issues on your own outside of court, each time that close something out without court supervision, the total amount of time and money spent on the divorce is reduced.

In some cases, the other spouse is deeply invested in making this situation as painful as possible. Most people who are approaching the New York divorce process are hoping that it will be as quick as possible so that they can close this chapter and move on with their lives. One of the methods to address this today is mediation, which can decrease the amount of time spent resolving a divorce by months or even years.

Uncontested Divorces

If you have an uncontested divorce, meaning that you and your former spouse are able to come to terms of agreement on all of the key issues in the dissolution of the marriage, your divorce will be granted much faster.

However, even with this situation, it can take some time depending on the judge, the court, the county, and the state that you reside in. Whether or not there are significant properties, whether parties agree on every matter, and whether or not there are children involved can also affect your New York divorce. An uncontested divorce typically takes a handful of months, whereas a contested divorce can take anywhere from nine months to a year or longer.

Speak To A New York Divorce Lawyer

You can ask your attorney during your initial consultation what he or she might anticipate in your case, but remember that the specifics of your individual divorce could change the circumstances. Speak to a qualified Brooklyn Divorce Lawyer today.