UNCONTESTED: Your divorce will be uncontested if both you and your spouse:
- Want to get a divorce
- Agree about what will happen with your children, your finances, your property after the divorce
If your divorce is uncontested, and you and your spouse have reached agreement on all financial and parenting issues, you may use the Court's free Uncontested Divorce Forms. You can also use the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Uncontested Divorce Program if you are filing for an uncontested divorce, your marriage has been over for at least six months, there are no children under 21, and all marital property issues, including debt, have been settled.
If you have not reached agreement, and you think you and your spouse could come to an agreement with some help, you might want to consider divorce mediation or collaborative family law.
CONTESTED: Your divorce will be contested if either you or your spouse:
- Do not want to get a divorce
- Disagree about the grounds (legal reasons) for the divorce
- Disagree about what will happen with your children, your finances, your property after the divorce
Because the judge will require detailed information to decide the issues you disagree about, your contested divorce will require you and your spouse to go to the Supreme Court numerous times. If your divorce will be contested, you should seriously consider finding a lawyer to represent you.
You might want to consider divorce mediation or collaborative family law.