How long will the divorce take?
Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by Alabama Divorce Lawyer, Jim Jeffries in Initial Considerations
I’ll give a good lawyer answer – it depends. In Alabama, we have a mandatory 30 day “cooling off period.” So, if the case is uncontested from the outset, it will take at least that long from the time the Agreement is filed with the Court until the Divorce Decree is signed by the Judge.
On the other hand, if the case has to be litigated, the earliest one can expect to get to trial in the jurisdictions in which I primarily practice (Mobile and Baldwin counties) is 3-4 months. However, it is not unusual for a case to be reset from that initial trial setting for various reasons. I generally tell my clients they can reasonably expect it to be resolved in 6-12 months if a trial is necessary. Occasionally we can get it tried quicker than that and rarely does it take longer.
The length of time it takes to get to trial is just one of several reasons that I encourage my client to try to resolve their case by reaching a fair settlement, if that is possible (sometimes it is not -such as when the opposing party or lawyer is unwilling to work towards a fair settlement in good faith).