Maryville Divorce Lawyer
No two divorce cases are exactly alike. Cases that are very complex can take one year or more to resolve the different issues, and they will also be more expensive. When a couple can agree to all the terms and obtain an uncontested divorce, it may only take a couple of months to finalize the case and it will also cost far less. If you are thinking about ending your marriage, you probably have many questions about the terms you will have to resolve, and the process you are about to face. Below, our Maryville divorce lawyer explains further.
Issues Raised in Divorce
When ending your marriage, you will have to resolve many terms of your divorce case. These include:
- Property division: Unless there is a prenup or postnuptial agreement, you will have to divide marital property during your divorce. You will have to identify marital and separate property, value certain assets, and identify goals for yourself. Tennessee is an equitable distribution state, which means property is divided fairly during divorce, which does not always mean equally.
- Child custody: Child custody must also be determined when a couple has children together and gets a divorce. All child custody decisions are made regarding what is in the best interest of the child. Parents can draft a parenting agreement on their own, or a judge can make all the final decisions.
- Child support: All parents in Maryville, and throughout Tennessee, have a legal duty to financially provide for their child. After a divorce, the parent with primary residential status will receive child support payments from the other parent.
- Alimony: Also known as spousal support, alimony is often awarded in divorce. There are many factors that will impact the amount of alimony to be paid. These include the length of the marriage, the education and training level of each party, the physical and mental health condition of each spouse, and more.
How to File for Divorce in Maryville
All divorce cases begin when one spouse, known as the plaintiff, files the petition with the court. In their complaint, the spouse must state the grounds on which they are obtaining a divorce. There are many different fault-based grounds for divorce in the state. They include adultery, bigamy, impotency, felony conviction, abandonment, habitual drug or alcohol abuse, and others. When a person files on fault-based grounds, they must also prove their case.
Spouses can also file on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. In these cases, the couple must only state that the marital relationship has broken down and that there is no chance of reconciliation. This is known as a no-fault divorce and neither spouse must show that the other was to blame for the marriage ending.
Our Divorce Lawyer in Maryville Can Help You Through the Process
You did not get married thinking it would ever end, but divorces do happen quite often. At Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette, our Maryville divorce lawyer can advise you of the law and how it applies to your case so your rights are upheld. Call us now at 865-426-1966 or fill out our online form to schedule a consultation with our experienced attorney.
