The majority of the divorces that go through the court system are No Fault proceedings. This is where neither party accuses the other of wrongdoing, and the details of visitation and support finances are already agreed upon. An individual can pursue such a divorce even when children and jointly owned properties exist, so long as there is not a quarrel between them which prevents both parties from signing off on their petition.
People with a past history of divorcing might be able to use their prior documents as a template for filing a current proceeding. So long as the wording is correct, and both parties sign off on it before their court date, the Judge is likely to sign off on their petition. If they do not specifically say that the marriage is permanently broken with no hope of being reconciled, then the Judge will send them back stating that they have failed to establish grounds for divorcing.
These documents are captioned reports, and the parties therein can include as many captions to cover the details as they need to. This can include visitation and care of pets and parents as well as children. Any support being requested, including alimony, must be outlined and signed off by both parties.
There are some divorce lawyers who offer cheap No Fault divorces. These attorneys often charge somewhere between $500 and $1000. In the state of Georgia, the court date is usually scheduled within two weeks, and both parties do not have to be present for this if both have already signed off on the original decree.
That being said, Judges do prefer to assign basic counseling services to families in these cases. To make sure the matter goes through smoothly, the parents should be present and able to verbally accept the counseling recommendation made. If they are not both present, and this particular Judge is a stickler about counseling, he or she might not approve their petition at that time.
For particularly savvy people who are able to draft their own decree utilizing an online template, or the wording of their own prior proceeding, they can accomplish this without any attorney at all. In the United States it is always recommended that one have representation before standing before a Judge, but it is not required. If both individuals are willing to sign off on what they decide together, they can get the signature of a Judge and only have to cover the cost of filing the documents with civil court.
While both parents are recommended to attend, it is always best to keep the children at home. This is true whether they are teenagers likely to get emotional, or toddlers likely to make a scene. Judges frown upon any outbursts in their courts, so keeping the kids with Grandma is probably the best advice.
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