This is one of the most common questions asked of us during our first contact with a potential new client, and while we wish we had a crystal ball to assist us in nailing down a timeline, we have yet to be blessed with technology of that caliber, so we can only provide our best “guesstimate”.
Family law files are impossible to time as there are so many factors at play; the parties, the lawyers, the court, and in some cases, forensic accountants, property appraisers, pension evaluators and criminal proceedings. One thing we have learned for sure is when the parties are amicable, things move more quickly.
When parties are on good terms, it is likely that they will settle out of court by way of an agreement. Negotiating outside of court is typically the fastest, and cheapest, method to resolve your family law matter. Of course, for highly complex matters when we are dealing with a long term traditional marriage with children and extensive assets, we expect that it will take longer than an average simple agreement.
On occasion, even negotiating a marriage contract can be tricky and timing depends on the level of complexity and the level of agreement between the parties involved. Even simple matters such as an uncontested divorce can vary in completion time. We of course do everything we can to ensure the divorce moves forward swiftly, however, things will only move as fast as the Court moves, and sometimes they are so backlogged it can take 6 to 8 months to get an uncontested divorce order.
Need Legal Advice?
For legal advice on divorce, please contact one of our divorce lawyers.
