How Quickly Can I Get A Divorce In Florida?

Many people who file for divorce want to get it over with as soon as possible. Unfortunately, a quick divorce is not always possible, especially if the parties cannot reach a consensus on alimony, property division, child custody, and other contested issues.

If you are considering filing for divorce or have already submitted a Petition for Divorce, contact a skilled family law attorney in Orlando to help you speed up your case. Our results-driven and compassionate attorney at Arwani Law Firm to facilitate negotiations between you and your spouse in order to help you finalize your divorce as quickly as possible.

How long does it take to finalize a divorce in Florida?

In Florida, divorce proceedings can take anywhere from one month to two years depending on the number of contested issues. If the parties agree to resolve all of their divorce-related issues, they can finalize a divorce within three months of the date of the filing.

For contested divorces, parties need 12 months, on average, to resolve all disputes and get a divorce. It is typically up to the parties to speed up their divorce case.

You can get a quick divorce in Florida – in as few as 20 days from the date of filing a petition – if you and your soon-to-be-ex-spouse agree on all divorce-related issues.

How can we speed up our divorce case?

Even the best divorce attorney in Florida will not be able to predict exactly how long your divorce will take. There are many factors involved in determining the duration of a divorce.

Under Fla. Stat. § 61.19, there is a 20-day waiting period after the filing of a divorce petition. In other words, you cannot get a divorce sooner than 20 days from the date of filing the petition.

For this reason, you cannot speed up proceedings to finalize your divorce sooner than 20 days from the filing date. If you and your spouse have resolved all of your disputes regarding alimony, distribution of property, child support, custody, and others, you could obtain a quick divorce immediately after the 20-day waiting period has expired.

How to get a quick divorce in Florida?

Since litigation can be a long and drawn-out process, parties can use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods to resolve their disputes in a quick manner. ADR methods include:

• Mediation. Both parties work out a mutually acceptable divorce settlement with the help of a neutral, third party mediator. Generally, mediation is less expensive, adversarial, stressful, and time-consuming that divorce litigation. It is still recommended to seek legal counsel from an attorney because a mediator’s job is to facilitate negotiations between the parties, rather than protect either party’s best interests.
• Collaborative divorce. Another common alternative dispute resolution method is collaborative law. Each party and their attorneys collaborate to work out a mutually beneficial marital settlement. The collaborative divorce process is not only less adversarial than the traditional litigation, but can also help you get a quick divorce in Florida.

Consult with an Orlando collaborative divorce lawyer to help you and your spouse collaborate to create a mutually acceptable agreement and speed up your divorce case. Contact Arwani Law Firm to talk about your particular case. Call 407-254-0060 today.

Resource:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.19.html