Contested Divorce

In a contested divorce the parties (spouses) cannot agree upon the divorce or any one aspect of the divorce or final decree.  A contentious custody or property battle falls into this category.  Each spouse typically hires a divorce or family law attorney to represent them.

While these matters can result in a lengthy trial, with the help of an experienced family law attorney, the parties can often times negotiate and possibly mediate in order to reach a settlement and divorce decree that both parties can agree on.  The earliest a divorce can be granted is 60 days after the petition is filed, but could take much longer depending on how long it takes to reach an agreement.  There is no maximum time limit in which a divorce must be finalized. Therefore, it is feasible that a divorce proceeding could last anywhere from 60 days up to several years.

Contested Custody

A custody fight is only appropriate when it is in the best interest of the children.  Parents are often devastated by the idea that there will be periods of time when they will be without their children.  Reality dictates that both parents will be able to spend a significant amount of time with the children and will be without the children for significant periods of time, regardless of who is the primary custodian.

The parents needs and desires to punish or exact revenge against the other spouse should not be a factor. A custody battle will be expensive, will probably be harmful to the children emotionally, and will make parenting with the ex-spouse difficult in the future.