It is hard to know where to start when you are considering divorce. Even if a couple had the foresight to craft a prenuptial agreement, the emotional and practical concerns can seem too hard to bear. Fortunately, Florida and other states have made moves to simplify the divorce process, even for couples with a lot of assets to divide.
If a couple can agree on how to separate their properties and assets for individuals, they may apply for a simplified dissolution of marriage under Florida statutes. This process does deny the process of examining financial statements or questioning a spouse in court or mediation, so people who are concerned about keeping these rights do not have this option.
Florida has an approach to divorce that earns it the moniker “no-fault state.” This means that a spouse does not have to prove the other spouse committed an act of infidelity or any other wrongdoing in order to get a divorce. A spouse must simply claim a marriage is broken or a spouse now lacks mental capacity.
Paperwork must be filed in the county of a person’s residence for at least six months before the filing. Petitions must be notarized, and the filing fees must be paid to the appropriate authorities. A court date for an initial hearing is set by the clerk’s office and communicated to the spouses.
An attorney can be very helpful in recommending the right form of divorce as well as representing personal interests in court. No one should have to go through the divorce process alone, and no one has to.