Divorce is hard. Choosing the right lawyers doesn’t have to be.
Uncontested divorce
An “uncontested” divorce means, essentially, that the spouses agree on all issues during the dissolution process. Where disagreements do exist, they are able to reach amicable and mutually-agreed upon resolutions. An uncontested divorce is often much easier than a contested divorce because spouses can end their marriage without constant negotiations and re-negotiations, legal posturing, and court hearings that drive up both tempers and attorney’s fees. An uncontested divorce can be finished when, but not before, six months have elapsed pursuant to California law.
Contested divorce
When the parties cannot come to an agreement on issues such as property division, support numbers, or the custody of children, the divorce then becomes “contested”. The parties end up in court asking a Judge to make the decisions for them. The contested dissolution process takes much longer to complete and typically involves greater stress and increased legal fees for everyone involved. With a contested divorce, the spouses are likely to participate in pretrial legal motions and hearings, ongoing settlement proposals and negotiations, trial, and possibly the appeals process. The nature of a contested divorce often demands the services of a capable attorney, such as the ones who proudly represent The Zhou Law Group in Northern and Southern California.
