How Long Will a Divorce Take in Sarasota, Bradenton, or Venice, Florida?
When it comes to a divorce clients want to know “how long will it take?” in Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice, Florida. First of all, it always takes a lot longer than you want it to. Most clients want it to be over immediately. But this is not a high school breakup and the court system moves slowly. The answer really depends on how quickly you can compromise and settle the issues required to be resolved in your case. On average, most divorces in this area tend to take 1 ½ years to be resolved from start to finish. It can be much quicker, or it can be even longer. In my past experience, the divorce is normally not less than 3 months and the divorce is normally not longer than 2 ½ years. If it is shorter than 3 months or longer than 2 ½ years, then that is the exception versus the rule. In short, the length of time your divorce takes is highly dependent on you and how willing you are to compromise, be reasonable, and settle issues in dispute.
There are certain steps that must be taken in each divorce. In the beginning, these steps normally are the filing of a lot of required paperwork and legal documents such as Petitioner for Dissolution of Marriage, Answer, Notice of Related Cases, Family Law Financial Affidavits, Certificates of Compliance with Mandatory Disclosure, Notice of Filing Child Support Guidelines Worksheets, and Parenting Plans, discovery responses, and discovery answers. Then, after both sides have completed all of this legal paperwork, you normally then go to your first mediation. Typically, based upon past experience, the mediation does not take place until at least 3 months after the divorce is filed. In can be often be longer if the other side drags their feet in filing producing the above-referenced legal documents. During this time period leading up to mediation, there are often no hearings allowed other than discovery motions. This is because the Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice divorce courts prefer that mediation be completed first. They will sometimes grant hearings for emergency or expedited motions. However, the Judges Magistrates get to decide if it is an emergency or not and they tend to set the bar very high.
After mediation is concluded, if the divorce does not settle, then you normally start having hearings on the bigger motions such a Motion for Temporary Parental Responsibility and Timesharing, Motion for Temporary Child Support, Motion for Temporary Use and Possession of Marital Residence, Motion for Temporary Alimony, and Motion for Temporary Attorney’s Fees and Costs. These are called motions for temporary relief. After 2 or 3 of these bigger hearings, the parties are often pretty sick of the whole process and ready to settle their divorce. If not, then the divorce is normally set for trial. Based upon past experience, it normally takes at least 6 months from the date you file your Notice for Trial until the trial actually occurs. So, if it takes at least 3 months to complete the mediation, and you file the Notice for Trial the day after your mediation, then you are still probably looking at least at 9 months or so until your case is tried.
Aside from the legal and financial aspects of the divorce, there are other important factors in determining how long it will take. You have to consider all the important factors such as the other half’s emotional and physical health, their financial stability, and children’s emotional stability. In other words, a divorce can take longer than it normally would because one spouse is having a very difficult time emotionally moving on from the marriage. Alternatively, it can take less time because the parents decide to speed things up because they see the negative emotional affects the divorce is having on their children. These are just some of the other important aspects to consider when it comes to how long a divorce will take in Sarasota, Bradenton, or Venice, Florida.
During a divorce, it can be difficult to handle the issue of bridging the gap between married life and single life. Although this is primarily an emotional issue, this is also be a factor which contributes to the overall length of a divorce. The bottom line is no own likes being dumped and some people take a lot longer than other people to get over it and start transitioning into living as a single person and/or a single parent. A divorce attorney like Sarasota Attorney Matthew Z. Martell can offer his legal assistance so that you can concentrate on this difficult transition which is greatly affecting your life. Since there are a lot of factors that also have to be dealt with, including your finances as you go from dual incomes to a single income, it is important that you engage the services of a one of the best Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice, Florida divorce law firms such as the Law Offices of Matthew Z. Martell, P.A.
It is definitely important to consult a Sarasota divorce attorney with excellent reviews when it comes to making sure that you understand, and are being realistic, regarding how long it will take from start to finish get your divorce in Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice, Florida. So please contact Sarasota divorce attorney Matthew Z. Martell at (941) 556-7020 to request a free 15-minute phone consultation. The Law Office of Matthew Z. Martell, P.A.’s legal team is known as of highly reputable Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice, Florida divorce law firm that is here to help you.
