Divorce Finalization Time Frame

The process of finalizing a divorce really depends on how close the parties act to an agreement when they’ve started the divorce. Sometimes people are not able to agree on even the most basic issues such as a parenting plan, whether or not the house gets sold, when it gets sold and how anything should be divided. So if you have a divorce where everything is contested, it might take a lot longer. It doesn’t have to take a lot longer but it can. Part of what happens is when you identify the issues and make a few settlement proposals back and forth. Generally, there’s what’s known as a four-way meeting and that means two lawyers and two parties attend the meeting. Generally, that’s a very effective way of closing the gap in order to come into an agreement. Of course, sometimes people can’t come into an agreement for whatever reason. Custody can be, for example, a black and white issue. They either move with that spouse or they don’t move with that spouse. Those are black and white issues and that’s when a judge would have to decide by trial.

This informational blog post was provided by Cynthia Hanley, an experienced Massachusetts Divorce Lawyer.