Addressing Your Concerns About Divorce

Many people who have decided they want to end their marriages are concerned about starting the divorce process because they are unsure what to expect, how long it will take and how their lives and relationships will be impacted in the short term.

Matthew C. Brimley, and his staff at HOWARD LEWIS & PETERSEN, PC have guided many clients through the Utah divorce process. To discuss what we can do to address your concerns, contactcontact our office to schedule a consultation.

Getting the Process Started Promptly

In Utah, whether a divorce is uncontested or contested, one spouse needs to file for divorce and serve the other spouse with divorce papers. Once we get some basic information from you, we can generally get your divorce filed and served within a few business days.

Depending on the specific circumstances of your divorce, it may be necessary to get certain issues temporarily resolved while the divorce process is ongoing. For instance:

  • Your spouse may have moved out and stopped making needed contributions to basic household expenses.
  • Your spouse may be preventing or restricting your time with your children.
  • There may be property and debt related disputes about who will make certain payments, who gets to stay in the family home and who gets to use which car.

By filing a motion for temporary orders, we can generally get a hearing scheduled quickly and have a judge decide what sorts of living and financial arrangements will be put in place until the final resolution of the divorce.

Taking the Approach That Is Right for You

Once the papers are filed and served, the process can go in a number of directions. Mr. Brimley can help you decide whether to try to achieve a divorce resolution through settlement, through mediation or by going to trial. It is also important to gather, examine and document the facts about your and your spouse’s finances and personal circumstances.

In Utah, family court judges must wait at least 90 days after the divorce papers are served before issuing a final divorce decree. The process may take longer if there are contested issues or if complex factual investigations are required.

To learn more about what you can expect from the divorce process from a lawyer who has been through it many times, don’t hesitate to contact our Provo office HOWARD LEWIS & PETERSEN, PC to set up a consultation.