Compassionate Seattle Uncontested Divorce Lawyer
An uncontested divorce is usually the simplest form of divorce compared to other types of divorce. In an uncontested divorce, you and your spouse agree on the resolution of the issues in your divorce. However, just because you agree on such matters doesn’t mean you don’t need a Seattle uncontested divorce lawyer. We’ll discuss that shortly.
Some common examples of issues you and your spouse may agree on include:
- Child custody
- Parenting time
- Parenting responsibilities
- Child support
- Duration of child support
- Property division
- Debt division
- Spousal support
If you need help understanding uncontested divorce in Seattle, Zafiro Law is the law firm to call.
Why Zafiro Law?
As one of the leading family law firms in King and Snohomish counties, we serve our clients with compassion, respect, and integrity. We understand how complex the divorce process is, whether contested or uncontested. You need an attorney who’ll help you understand your rights and protect your interests during and after a divorce. That’s where Zafiro Law comes in.
Why You Need a Seattle Uncontested Divorce Lawyer
Contrary to popular opinion, you still need an attorney for an uncontested divorce. Here’s why.
Providing Customized Legal Services
Washington divorce laws are broad. When it comes to an uncontested divorce, the process might not be as complicated as many other forms of divorce. This is usually a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.
For instance, since uncontested divorce processes are much simpler than traditional divorce, it’s easier to make mistakes when filing for an uncontested divorce. This mostly happens when you ignore some of the filing requirements for this type of divorce. The wrong paperwork is all it takes to delay your divorce for months, but that’s not something you need to worry about when you have an uncontested divorce attorney.
Staying Up-To-Date With Divorce Laws
Divorce laws change from time to time. When you’re happily married, there’s no reason to keep up with the latest divorce laws in Washington or anywhere else. But for an uncontested divorce attorney, that’s what they do all the time. They know what’s changed, including the filing process, and can help ensure that your divorce meets the state’s requirements.
Providing Legal Advice
Just because your divorce is uncontested doesn’t mean you don’t need legal advice. An experienced uncontested divorce attorney can offer important legal advice you didn’t know you needed.
Avoiding Future Conflicts
As mentioned before, many uncontested divorce processes may quickly turn into endless legal battles in the future. This usually happens if one or both spouses overlook critical aspects during the divorce. An experienced Seattle uncontested divorce attorney can review your situation and provide important legal advice to help prevent certain unfortunate conflicts in the future.
Saving You Money
If you thought working with an uncontested divorce attorney is unnecessary, wait till you experience the consequences of not working with such an attorney. For instance, many couples use the wrong (or outdated) forms when filing for an uncontested divorce.
As a result, when the court rejects their petition, they’ll most likely need an attorney to help them understand what they need to do to fix the problem. However, when you look at it from a different perspective, you’ll realize that the cost of hiring a divorce attorney to help in such situations is higher than hiring the attorney to handle the entire divorce process from scratch.
How Long Could an Uncontested Divorce Take?
An uncontested divorce is usually the shortest type of divorce. For example, in Washington state, you could finalize it after three months.
When one party files for an uncontested divorce in Washington, the court must wait for at least 90 days before it can enter final orders. Given that there’s no need to contest this type of divorce because both parties already have an agreement, the court will proceed to finalize the divorce.
However, it’s important to note that some uncontested divorce are usually not done out of goodwill. In some cases, one party, usually the abusive one, may have an unfair advantage over the other. As a result, the abused party may decide not to contest the divorce because they have concerns regarding their safety and wellbeing.
This is where an uncontested divorce attorney comes in to advocate for the rights of the disadvantaged spouse. When that happens, the uncontested divorce process might take longer than expected.
The bottom line is that this kind of divorce in Washington takes around 90 days (three months). But it could take longer if certain issues need to be resolved before finalizing the divorce. An experienced attorney can help identify such problems and protect the rights and interests of their clients throughout the divorce process, even if it means taking a month or two longer to finalize the divorce.
Uncontested Divorce With an Out-of-State Partner
If one of the divorcing spouses lives out of state, the spouse filing for divorce in Washington must be a resident of Washington on the day they file the initial divorce paperwork. However, unlike many other states, Washington doesn’t require you or your soon-to-be ex-spouse to have lived in the state for a particular period before filing for divorce.
Even though Washington doesn’t have strict laws regarding residency before divorce, the state might not have jurisdiction over certain cases. This applies even if both parties – the petitioner and respondent – agree to the terms of the divorce.
Here are a few examples of such circumstances:
Suppose you file for divorce in Washington, but your partner doesn’t live in the state and never lived there during the marriage. In that case, the state of Washington may lack jurisdiction to divide your property or order your partner to pay support.
Washington might not enforce Parenting Plans or custody orders if the children didn’t live with a parent figure in the state for at least six months. The same applies if the children didn’t live in Washington since birth if they are younger than six months old.
Contact a Seattle Uncontested Divorce Lawyer
By now, you probably understand how complex divorce processes are in Washington state, whether uncontested or contested. At Zafiro Law, we can help you navigate complex divorce laws and procedures by providing all the assistance and advice you need. Our uncontested divorce attorneys serve both King and Snohomish Counties, including cities like Seattle, Kirkland, Bellevue, Shoreline, Renton, Kent, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Redmond, Sammamish, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Mukilteo, Mill Creek, Edmonds, and the surrounding areas. So call us today at (206) 309-9645 to talk to an experienced uncontested divorce attorney.
