If you’re planning on filing for a divorce in the state of California, after you have made sure that you have fulfilled the residency requirements of one party living in the state for at least six months and the county you’re filing in for at least three months, you’re probably wondering how long the case will take to complete. While you may want to put everything behind you and move on with your new life, your divorce cannot legally be finalized earlier than six months from the date that the petition is served upon the respondent.
Could My Divorce Take Longer?
The law states that six months is the least amount of time your divorce could take; you should know that that length of time is completely tentative. There are many legal issues that could extend the amount of time that your divorce could take to complete. These are the important Issues revolving around:
- Child Custody
- Child and Spousal Support
- The Division of Communal Property
While the outcome pertaining to these issues is extremely important and you should do your best to guarantee that you will be awarded everything you deserve, cooperation between both parties and a commitment to resolve these legal issues together is the simplest way to get your divorce completed the fastest. Without cooperation between you and your spouse, your attorney and the courts, your divorce could end up taking several years to complete.
Cooperation is Key to a Quick Resolution
If time is an issue but one of the parties is being vindictive or vengeful, take our advice and know that acting with revenge during a divorce is never the right angle to take. Judges do not take kindly to this behavior and could react very negatively to these actions.
It is also important to keep in mind that neither party will be able to remarry or file single on their taxes until the court has granted their request to return their status to single. Meaning that the more cooperative the parties are the less time the divorce should take. It is in your best interest to keep communication open and try to come to agreements on all your legal issues if you would like to finalize your divorce in the least amount of time.