If both parties agree on all major issues, known as an uncontested divorce, you can keep the costs relatively low. If you do your own divorce papers and your divorce is amicable, costs could be under $500.
A contested or opposed divorce means that you and your spouse cannot reach an agreement regarding how to end your marriage or the terms and conditions of your divorce. Contested divorces can drag on for years, causing emotional draining and financial loss to all involved.
On average, Utah divorce lawyers charge between $195 and $230 per hour. Average total costs for Utah divorce lawyers are $8,300 to $9,700 but are significantly lower in cases with no contested issues.
There are two types of divorces, contested and uncontested divorce. The uncontested divorce is the best and most cost effective for all parties concerned. It can be finalised within 4 weeks. If a divorce is contested it may take between 2 - 3 years, but most contested divorces do settle long before they go on trial.
Overview: It is not necessary that both the spouses have to agree to file for a divorce. One of them may file for a divorce without the others' consent if they are sure that they have strong grounds for breakdown of the marriage.
Generally no, it doesn't matter which spouse files for divorce. There is no legal advantage to filing the petition for divorce first; however, there may be strategical advantages. For example, whoever files first may get to choose which court will be hearing the divorce.
3 monthsAn uncontested divorce in Utah requires an average of 3 months to complete. A contentious divorce, on the other hand, might take 9 months or longer, depending on the complexity of marital assets. Yet, even the fastest marriage termination won't be shorter than 30 days which equals the divorce waiting period in Utah.
Utah is NOT a community property state, which means that marital property is not automatically divided 50/50 between the spouses in a divorce case.