Resolve uncontested divorces in Washington

In the broadest sense, an uncontested divorce could include any divorce in which the parties are not actively fighting over the terms of the divorce. This generally means they are following a different process than litigation. Even if the parties aren’t arguing, there are certain steps you can take to ensure that the process goes smoothly. Thus, even the most amicable breakup would benefit from the help of a Seattle divorce attorney.

Avoid This Important Undisputed Divorce Mistake!

Strictly speaking, an uncontested divorce in Washington is a divorce in which the respondent has not submitted a response to the petitioner’s petition for divorce. In the absence of an answer, there is no “competition” on what the petitioner asked for in the petition. If the time limit for responding has passed (usually 20 days after service), the applicant can apply to the court for an order for payment, which will allow the applicant to finalize the divorce without further input from the respondent. If you are the respondent, you do NOT want this to happen. If you don’t have a way to review and decline the final orders, it can be easy to see that the final orders contain things that you weren’t expecting and that you wouldn’t have agreed to. So make sure you submit a response in a timely manner!

Is a joint petition for divorce only for uncontested divorces?

Sometimes the parties can a Joint petition for divorce. This means that both have signed the petition and both parties are going to petition the court for divorce. This does not necessarily mean that the divorce is uncontested as they may still not agree on what the divorce settlement should be, but typically, parties that file a joint petition are likely to work together to reach an agreement on the terms of the divorce achieve.

What to do next in an unchallenged Washington divorce

There are several ways the parties can work together to prevent the divorce from turning into an actively contested divorce. We often call the first kitchen table Discussions. This means that the parties simply speak directly to each other about what they want the divorce to look like and make their own arrangements without outside help. Once they have reached an agreement, it is still a good idea, although not required, for them to seek legal assistance in preparing the legal documents to ensure that the documents actually do what they agreed to and do not overlook anything critical . It can help that lawyers’ draftsmen work well together, such as: B. Lawyers who offer mediation or collaboration services and have previously worked together. Our attorneys will be happy to provide you with the names of other attorneys with whom they have worked well in the past.

Mediation options

A second option is Meditate. The parties often find that while trying to resolve their divorce themselves, they run into problems that they cannot resolve and thus get stuck. You may also be unsure of what questions they all need to cover or what considerations should lead to a good agreement. A mediator is a neutral person, often a lawyer, who works with both of them to guide them through the discussion of various divorce issues. The mediator can highlight key issues and has several tools to help the parties get past the places they are stuck in. The mediation can take place in several sessions, often with homework in between (e.g. obtaining real estate appraisals or other financial documents). Since the mediator is neutral (does not represent any party), he is limited in his ability to answer legal questions or to prepare the legal documents in the case. Rather, they should ask the parties to have lawyers in the background who can help with these things. Again, it is best if these lawyers are cooperative and have worked well together in the past.

Collaborative divorce is a great option for uncontested divorce

A third option that our office prefers in many cases is collaboration. In the collaborative process, both people agree in advance that they will not go to court or use the threat of legal proceedings (ie NO bullying!). This means that they need to listen carefully to each other so they can understand each other’s concerns and come up with suggestions that they think are acceptable to the other (much like doing many business deals). In a cooperative divorce, the parties work with a small team of professionals who guide them through an information and decision-making process to help them reach the best possible settlement. Both parties will have a cooperative attorney to work with them. The Seattle divorce attorney can answer legal questions and prepare the necessary legal documents. The lawyer will also assist his client in formulating ideas for solutions that may be acceptable to the spouse, as in this format ideas that don’t work for both spouses will not bring them to an agreement.

A financial expert will usually also be present. This is a person who can not only work with both parties to collect all the necessary financial information (save money versus two lawyers), but also provide financial advice and even make future forecasting based on various comparison scenarios the parties develop. Often times, much of the initial work in this case is only done between the financial professional and the two clients.

The collaborative teams usually include a divorce coach. This person usually has a background as a family therapist. Your job is to unpack the underlying baggage that can get in the way of productive discussions and help the parties move on when emotions get too high or they are stuck at one point. This helps group sessions move forward better (without a trainer to intervene, it can take longer to clear the difficult bumps in the road, which can also be costly).

Considerations for your children

Finally, when children are involved, it can be helpful to work with a child specialist on developing a parenting plan. The childcare worker can clarify with the children how they are, bring the children’s worries back to the parents (in divorce situations, children often try to “help” by hiding their own struggles from the parents) and advice based on what the parents are Can do children good. The child specialist can guide parents through the many questions to be asked about the parenting plan and suggest ways in which such problems have been resolved in other cases. Most importantly, the child care worker supports parents in planning how they will continue to raise their children for everyone involved.

Let Seattle Divorce Services manage your uncontested divorce

To learn more about the different ways you can deal with your divorce or any other concern, contact one of our Seattle family attorneys. You can call us at 206-784-3049 or contact us using the contact form on our website to arrange an initial meeting.