A "contested" divorce is basically one in which the parties are not in agreement on one or more of the issues and it becomes necessary to litigate those issues in court. These issues include but are not limited to:
- Child Custody and Visitation
- Child Support
- Spousal Support
- Property Division
- Debt Division
- Payment of Attorney Fees and Costs
In contested divorce cases the policy of our office is to attempt to settle the issues through negotiation often in a face-to-face meeting involving all parties and attorneys. However, when negotiations fail, the only remaining alternative is to proceed with litigation.
Each case is different. The parties are always different. The opposing attorney is different. The issues are always different. Though educated guesses may be made, it is never possible to say how quickly a contested matter may be resolved or how expensive it will be for the parties. Generally the time and expense necessary to bring a contested divorce to a conclusion will depend on the level of the opposition; i.e. the more resistence there is from the other side, the more time and money it will take to meet that resistance.