Salt Lake City Divorce Lawyer
30 Years of Experience
Ending a marriage can be emotionally and financially challenging, particularly without reliable legal representation. However, a Salt Lake City divorce attorney can be a valuable asset if you intend to end your marriage or your ex-spouse serves you with a divorce petition.
Our family law attorneys from Salt Lake City, UT, can help you determine the best options for handling the situation and reaching a favorable outcome in your divorce proceedings.
Having a solid understanding of your divorce attorney’s need in Salt Lake City (expertise, familiarity with the Utah courthouse, high level of professionalism, aggressive in representing your family case, and other family law matters) will help you choose the right divorce attorney for your situation.
Why Christensen Law Is Your Best Choice for Hiring a Salt Lake City Divorce
At Christensen Law, our family law attorneys provide a basic outline for the different types of divorce cases to help in your research of finding the right divorce attorney in Salt Lake City, UT.
Divorce proceedings in a Salt Lake City courthouse typically occur when spouses are separating or have separated and are unlikely to reconcile.
Although the separation is especially simple or amicable, the spouses might go years without initiating or finalizing divorce proceedings.
However, divorce proceedings will be necessary sooner in many legal family cases because divorce is complex or adversarial.
The Salt Lake City-based attorneys and staff at Christensen Law are prepared to assist you as you face a divorce.
Whether you or your spouse initiated the divorce, we can provide you with valuable advice and assistance.
Whether your divorce is straightforward, amicable, complex, or adversarial, our attorneys can help you get through the divorce process.
At Christensen Law, our divorce attorneys understand how hard divorce can be. Our goal is to deliver comprehensive divorce representation for all clients around Salt Lake City, Utah.
When you work with our family law firm, you can confidently approach any concerns.
Do You Really Need a Lawyer for a Divorce
If you and your ex spouse agree on all terms to proceed with a divorce, you can register for an uncontested divorce with the guidance of a lawyer. It is highly recommended to have a lawyer look over your divorce agreement in any uncontested divorce to make sure that your legal rights and interests are protected.
Simple & Amicable Divorce Cases in Salt Lake City, Utah
Our family law firm located in the state of Utah occasionally receives calls from people who have decided to divorce and have already worked out everything with their spouse.
If this is your situation, you are fortunate.
Our divorce attorneys can help you file the necessary divorce paperwork with the courthouse in Salt Lake City and draw up the documents to make your divorce official.
Additionally, our attorneys can help you meet the various obligations in the agreement, such as property transfers or retirement account divisions.
More importantly, we can advise whether your agreement will help you avoid long-term problems and whether the court will accept it.
Despite best intentions, some divorce agreements fail to account for problems that may arise on a long-term basis or later lead to conflict over divorce matters that were not important at the time of the divorce.
Additionally, if your agreement does not conform with Utah law, you may find that your favorite portions of your agreement are unenforceable.
Please note that in such situations, although we are arranging for a divorce to which both parties agree, our lawyers can represent only the interests of only one of the divorcing spouses.
If the other spouse has any legal questions, they must consult a divorce lawyer from another family law firm.
Experienced Lawyers in Salt Lake City, Utah for Complex Divorces and Family Law Issues
Even where the parties to a divorce have the best intentions and want to cooperate, they will find it necessary to address numerous family law matters. For example, in a single divorce case, all of the following questions and more could be relevant:
- » Who will have physical custody of the children, and when will the other parent visit with the children?
- » Or, if the parents are to have joint physical custody of the children, how will they share physical custody?
- » How are the parties supposed to transfer custody of the children? Where will they meet? When?
- » Which parent will make what decisions for the children?
- » Or, if the parents are supposed to make decisions jointly, how will disagreements be handled in the future?
- » Who will claim the children on their tax returns?
- » How much child support should one parent pay the other?
- » What is the due date for child support payments?
- » How are child support payments supposed to be made?
- » How are medical and insurance expenses to be handled? Who will be responsible for paying?
- » Who will live in and own the house?
- » Will the house need to be refinanced so that only one of the parties is on the mortgage?
- » Or who will be responsible for selling the house, and how will the proceeds from the sale be divided?
- » Who will take possession and ownership of what car?
- » How are the retirement accounts to be split?
- » Who will be responsible for paying what debt?
- » Will one spouse need to pay the other spouse alimony? For how long?
Our divorce attorney in Salt Lake City can provide helpful legal direction, manage your administrative responsibilities, and help you research alternative conflict resolutions if possible.
Our Lawyers Handle Adversarial Divorces in Salt Lake City, Utah
For whatever reason, one spouse or both spouses in a divorce case will not cooperate or negotiate.
Perhaps this is because they are not being nice. Or perhaps that individual’s situation is such that they cannot or believe they cannot negotiate.
Perhaps a spouse believes they need to be in attack mode instead of cooperation and negotiation mode. This response may be their personality. Or it may be their divorce lawyer or others who are giving them advice.
At Christensen Law, our family law firm tries to help our clients avoid unnecessary conflict, but we prepare to help you stand your ground when the opposing party asks too much or appeals when it seems like the court made a wrong decision.
Regardless, we can help you through adversarial divorces, just as we can help in non-adversarial divorces.
In the beginning, you will need to decide whether to seek temporary orders.
As the case progresses, you will want to work with us to go to trial.
At all times, we will be ready for the possibility of settling, but we will also want to be ready for you to put your best foot forward in front of the judge so that the court can make the best possible decision.
Our Salt Lake City lawyers advise our clients on all potential strategies and provide a practical direction to navigating them.
When necessary, we are aggressive and persistent in getting our clients the best possible outcome.
Our Salt Lake City firm will never stop doing what is necessary to get you the possible result – regardless of how aggressive the opposite party is. As your divorce attorney, we always keep you aware of what’s going on.
What Are the Steps to Divorce in Utah?
Divorce in Utah begins with the filing of a divorce petition. The person filing becomes known as the petitioner.
If the divorce is amicable, the petition might reflect the final settlement, and instead of responding to the petition, the other party will allow the petition to go unchallenged.
In other cases, the petition may be the wish list of the petitioner, an opening offer, if you will.
Once served, the other party, known as the respondent, will have a chance to file an answer to the petition and, possibly, a counter-petition asking for relief that the original petition may not have covered.
Once you have filed the petition and answer, a process known as discovery begins. Discovery occurs when the parties to the divorce exchange information to help them understand the overall situation. Exchanging the information can help lead to a settlement.
If you do not settle divorce, you may use the information at trial.
At nearly any point after filing the petition and before the trial or final settlement, either the petitioner or respondent can move for temporary orders. With temporary orders, the court can put a temporary order that will last until it reaches a final decision.
Temporary orders can relate to nearly any of the issues listed above in the section about complex divorces.
Finishing the Process & Additional Steps
Once discovery concludes, the parties will take the case to trial if they have not already settled. If the case settles, the parties will obtain a divorce decree that reflects their negotiations.
In a situation where the parties go to trial, they will obtain a divorce decree reflecting the judge’s decisions based on what the parties presented at trial.
If you feel that the courthouse in Salt Lake City has made a mistake, you will be able to appeal. Otherwise, you will need to abide by the orders contained in the divorce decree. If your spouse does not, you may need to ask the court to enforce the divorce decree.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Divorce in Utah?
One of the most common concerns among individuals preparing for divorce is the time required for the divorce to finalize. According to Utah law, an individual must wait at least 30 days after filing a divorce petition before your divorce is final.
Utah requires married couples to delay 90 days between the date they file their petition and the date the decree is signed. However, state legislation revised the waiting period to 30 days.
Our Salt Lake City lawyer will provide you with a rough estimation of how long it will take you for your settlement. If you and your ex-spouse are willing to cooperate and mediate civilly, it’s likely to expedite your settlement significantly.
Does a Good Divorce Lawyer Make a Difference?
Yes, knowing you have a good divorce lawyer makes a difference by confidently developing your divorce case and guiding you to reach a workable and appropriate settlement with very little stress.
At Christensen Law, we can confidently provide the complete legal representation needed to navigate your proceedings. We understand how difficult divorce is and want to help you expedite your case in any way possible, ensuring a promising outcome for you in all the terms of your agreement.
So call our firm today for an experienced and reliable Salt Lake City attorney.
Have questions about your divorce case?
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