What if We Agree on Everything?
Divorces come in two types: contested and uncontested. If you disagree about things, you have a contested case. If you agree about everything, your case is uncontested.
When you agree on everything, you simply bring your agreement to an attorney who turns that agreement into a stipulation. When everyone reads and signs the stipulation, the case is effectively done.
And when I say done, I mean done in the legal sense of the word, which means it still takes a while to get divorced. (Nothing happens quickly in the law.)
After you sign, your attorney will need to complete a number of documents required by the court. In addition, you may need to provide tax and pay records if child support is involved. You may also need to complete a divorce education course if child custody is involved.
When all the documents are filed and served on your spouse, and all other requirements are met, your judge will wait out Utah’s 90-day waiting period and then sign your divorce decree. When that’s signed, you’re divorced. Easy peasy.
Now, there’s obvious more to the process than I’m letting on. The process actually has a number of steps and requires a lot of care to get right. Still, when you hire a good law firm, the process is pretty seamless because the firm has systems in place to shepherd your agreement from beginning to end.
In addition to being a straightforward process, uncontested divorces cost less. Usually, law firms will charge a relatively modest flat fee, instead of an hourly fee. In fact, this is what we do in our firm. Uncontested divorces are among the best deals in the law. If you can come to an agreement on everything, do it.
