No one wants a long, drawn-out divorce that leaves everybody bitter and hurt, not to mention the expenses. However, many factors are involved in getting divorced, including the parties involved, the nature of the divorce, what county you are filing in, and the judge that can contribute to the time it takes to get divorced in New York.
What Influences the Length of the Divorce Process?
Several factors can influence the divorce process's duration, like if there are children involved, significant properties, and other issues, regardless of whether the parties agree on every matter. For a contested divorce in NY, it lasts about nine months to a year, on average. However, different divorce cases can differ in duration for a variety of reasons.
Considering the amount of paperwork involved and the fact that the judge must review it all to confirm that they comply with the appropriate divorce laws and that the agreement is in the best interest of the children involved, the length of time for the conclusion of the divorce grows with every additional issue. Even the Court's schedule can influence the amount of time it takes for divorce.
Additionally, spouses may be unable to collaborate on solving critical issues. In that case, the resolution process is taken out of their control and into the hands of a judge. This increases the amount of time the divorce process takes and increases the amount of money you will have to pay your attorneys for court appearances, document preparation, and more.
If an asset is being disputed, such as a retirement benefit, or real estate investment or asset, it is often requested that the asset be appraised so that it can be assigned a reliable, numerical value. This process is also both time consuming and costly.
Uncontested Divorce
In an uncontested divorce, it will obviously take less time compared to a contested divorce. However, this can take some time depending on the judge, the Court, or even the county you reside in. If there is a backlog of divorce cases being held, then the process could be slightly delayed. However, on average, in New York, if both parties agree to divorce, the process could take as little as three months as long as each party agrees to everything.
If you need a Long Island divorce specialist, contact Friedman & Friedman PLLC, Attorneys at Law today by calling our firm at (516) 688-0088.