The Basic Process of Divorce

Coronavirus Family Lawyer

If you’re looking for a divorce in the face, you could be completely lost. Not knowing what to do or where to start could be frightening as you embark on this new chapter of your life. The good news is there are family lawyers available to answer your questions so you get through the process with as little grief as possible. The following is the basic process of divorce.

Writing the Petition
If you are the one filing for divorce, you will write the petition. This is a document that includes information pertinent to the marriage and the situation. It will name both spouses, any children, community and non-community property, requests for child custody, requests for child support, and requests for alimony. There will typically be a page outlining the reasons for the divorce as well. The petitioner may need to sign the document in front of a notary public, which is essentially stating everything in the petition is truthful.

Serving the Petition
If your divorce is amicable, it’s possible this step will be extremely easy. If you and your spouse have already discussed the particulars, and he or she knows exactly what is in the petition already, the spouse may simply sign a receipt of service.

If your divorce isn’t going as smoothly as you had hoped, your spouse may wish to read over the petition to make a response to your claims. If this is the case, you’ll typically hire a professional server to deliver the petition to your spouse. This could be the local sheriff, a court clerk, or a variety of other individuals.

Waiting for the Response
After your spouse, or the “respondent,” has had a chance to look over the petition, he or she can make a response. If he or she does end up agreeing with everything in the document, it could be an easier process. If not, he or she may offer another possibility for child custody, support, and alimony. He or she may also contest some of the information about the marriage and the reasons for the divorce. When complete, the response will need to be filed with the court.

Finalizing the Divorce
After all the paperwork has been submitted, the couple could sit down with lawyers or mediators to figure out the finalized divorce agreement. If an agreement cannot be made, the couple may have to go before a court and have a judge decide all the final details.

Contacting a Lawyer
If you are about to get divorced, it may greatly benefit you to have the assistance of a lawyer. Contact a family lawyer, like a coronavirus family lawyer in Arlington, Virginia, today for help in getting your divorce filed.


Thank you to the experts at
May Law, LLP for their input into family law and the Coronavirus.