Divorce is something that nobody wants to have to deal with, but of course, it happens on a regular basis to marriages, even those that started off with the best possible intentions and strongest relationships.

Learning about the divorce process ahead of time will help you to navigate this difficult time as successfully and smoothly as possible, and will help you stay informed about what to expect, what steps to take, and more.

The Marriage Process

When couples marry, they have a choice: Spend $30,000+ on a lavish wedding with a gourmet meal for 300 guests, a live band, photographers, videographers, etc. or go to city hall and get married by the justice of the peace for $200.

Both represent a very different process, yet both get the same result; a marriage certificate.

Both processes result in a marriage certificate, but one process is quick, easy, and inexpensive while the other process is slow, stressful, and costly.

The same is true with divorce.

The Right Way and Wrong Way to Divorce

Divorcing the right way means avoiding lawyers and the court and using a divorce advocate to coach you through the process.

Couples should never start their divorce by calling an attorney first. Lawyers should be only a last resort.

Many divorces simply result from people who never longer get along or wish to continue working on their relationship, in other words, there was no sudden act of domestic violence or crime, or anything else.

In this case, the divorce process begins with a separation.

In these cases, before you can file for divorce, there has to be a separation period where the two individuals do not live together.

The amount of time required will depend on the state, the circumstances and whether or not you hire a divorce advocate or a divorce lawyer.

A separation agreement outlines issues such as temporary child custody or support arrangements, temporary division of property or homes, and so forth.

A petition for divorce can be filed in the country where you live.

The petition is the intent to dissolve the marriage, and may include basics which will need to be resolved in terms of assets and property.

The other spouse has to be notified or served with that divorce petition, and then the case will typically move to a temporary hearing or motion stage.

This establishes temporary aspects to be officially decided later, once again, the issues of homes, child support and child custody, alimony and more.

The Divorce Process

The divorce process is as simple as deciding how to settle five topics:

1. Child Custody
2. Child Support
3. Division of Assets
4. Division of Debt
5. Spousal Maintenance (alimony)

Once you settle these five topics, your divorce is done.

The only question is will you settle these topics in a about week or six months?

If you want to settle these five topics in a week for less than $200 clicking here.

A divorce advocate offers the best hope to work out an agreement that is fair to both parties.

If the two parties still cannot agree, then third party mediation may be used.

This mediator will act as a go between and will help to smooth over certain issues, find common ground, and get the parties on the same page as much as possible, if possible.

If this all this proves unsuccessful, then the two parties will have to take it to court, pay thousands, use lawyers to present their cases, and let the judge settle the five divorce topics.

This is the toughest part of the divorce process, and it's when it has the potential to get ugly and expensive. In addition, since the matters are out of your own hands, it's something that many people will try to avoid.

Hopefully you've learned a little bit more about the basic divorce process here.

Of course, the state in which you live, and the circumstances surrounding the specifics of your relationship and your divorce will all have an impact on how it goes for you.

When in doubt, be sure to have an experienced divorce advocate on your side to help you get through this challenging, confusing and daunting period, while looking out for your own best interests.

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Article written by:

Matt O'Connell