1Pleadings
In a Georgia contested divorce a respondent has 30 days after receiving a Complaint of Divorce to respond.
2Discovery
The Discovery phase of your divorce can be one of its most intense times. During the Discovery phase, you must disclose many personal facts about your life and finances.
3Mediation
In mediation, you and your spouse meet with a mediator to discuss the issues on which you can come to agreement before continuing the divorce process.
4Trial
When alternatives to trial have not worked, spouses will need to prepare for going to trial in their divorce. This can be a long and complex process.
It’s important to understand that while the Georgia contested divorce process often requires much more long-term attention by way of pleadings, discovery, mediation, and potentially a trial; it is completely possible to settle during the process, or even come to a partial settlement agreement. After all, there may be a few items in the contested process that parties can agree upon, prior to presenting the case to a judge.
If both sides can agree on certain terms of the divorce, the length of time to get a divorce and the expense of the divorce is considerably lessened. Counterbalance that with the possibility that strategically it may be best to submit all of the issues to the judge or jury for decision. Decisions like this should not be made without a thorough discussion with an attorney who has expertise in such matters. Further, without a settlement, a contested divorce in GA could demand the expertise of forensic accountants with regard to the financial matters or a guardian ad litem with regard to child custody evaluations, thus slowing the entire process.