How Long?

Theresa, sometimes the process is clean and fast, and sometimes it can be a very difficult process. Several factors determine the amount of time necessary to obtain a divorce. If you and your spouse have been married for a long time, have minor children, and have accumulated a lot of marital or community property, it may take several months to resolve your property, support, and custody issues. Conversely, if your marriage was a short one and you did not have children together, the process typically (but not always) goes faster. Another factor is the amount of time that your individual state requires to obtain a divorce. For example, in California the minimum time it takes to obtain a divorce decree is six months from the date the initial papers are filed.

Even after you are officially divorced, you are not necessarily “finished” with your former spouse. Frequently, a spouse will return to court to modify a custody agreement or modify the amount of child or spousal support.