i’m about to start my divorce in michigan, and i’ve heard there’s a waiting period, especially if you have kids. can anyone tell me how long this process really takes?
If you’ve got kids, the waiting period is at least 180 days. Without kids, it’s 60 days. But it can take longer if things get complicated or contested.
Hart said:
If you’ve got kids, the waiting period is at least 180 days. Without kids, it’s 60 days. But it can take longer if things get complicated or contested.
yup, even if things go smoothly, you still have to wait. it’s just part of the michigan law, nothing you can really do about it.
Hart said:
If you’ve got kids, the waiting period is at least 180 days. Without kids, it’s 60 days. But it can take longer if things get complicated or contested.
ugh, that’s exactly what i was worried about. we’ve got kids, so I guess it’s gonna take a while…
@Corey
yeah but in the meantime, you can set up temporary orders for stuff like custody and support, so you don’t have to wait on that till the end.
One thing you gotta be ready for is the discovery phase. You’ll need to have all your financials, property info, and documents ready. It’s a lot, but it helps in the long run.
Addison said:
One thing you gotta be ready for is the discovery phase. You’ll need to have all your financials, property info, and documents ready. It’s a lot, but it helps in the long run.
i heard discovery is no joke. do they really need all that info?
@Corey
yep, they want everything to make sure things get divided fairly. financial records, assets, emails, all of it.
once you finish discovery, you can start negotiating. i did mediation, and we sorted most of it without going to court. saved us a ton of stress.
Abi said:
once you finish discovery, you can start negotiating. i did mediation, and we sorted most of it without going to court. saved us a ton of stress.
that’s good to hear. i’m hoping to settle through mediation too. did it work well for you?
@Corey
yep, mediation worked for us. it’s definitely cheaper than taking everything to trial.
if it does go to court, just remember nothing’s final until the judge signs the divorce judgment. once it’s signed, there’s no changing things.
Lennon said:
if it does go to court, just remember nothing’s final until the judge signs the divorce judgment. once it’s signed, there’s no changing things.
got it, i’ll make sure everything’s settled before we sign anything. no surprises!
oh and if your spouse doesn’t respond to the complaint, it could turn into an uncontested divorce, which might speed things up.
Zayden said:
oh and if your spouse doesn’t respond to the complaint, it could turn into an uncontested divorce, which might speed things up.
hmm, hadn’t thought about that. i’ll just have to wait and see what happens then.