Contested Divorce Lawyer Modesto, CA

Contested Divorce Lawyer in Modesto, CA

If you need information about what a contested divorce lawyer in Modesto, California can do for you, you can reach out to AttorneyBernie.com for all the legal guidance you need.

Divorces aren’t pleasant experiences, and nobody likes seeing their fairy-tale romance crumble. On the other hand, when you head into a divorce with as much information as possible, you’re taking an important step to making sure the proceedings go smoothly.

When you and your spouse agree to a divorce (and sometimes the two parties can’t even agree on whether they need a divorce or not – we’ll go into more detail on that later) you can both sit down and come to terms that work best for the two of you. This includes child support, custody, spousal support, and the division of your shared assets. If this seems unlikely, a divorce is still possible, but the process is different.

Contested vs. Uncontested Divorce

When you and your spouse can agree on everything in your divorce – from child custody to who gets what after you split – it’s called an uncontested divorce. An uncontested divorce is amicable, but rare: After all, can you and your spouse really agree on everything, especially if you both agree to divorce each other? When you and your spouse disagree on the terms of your divorce, you have to go through legal proceedings to reach an agreement.

When you and your spouse disagree about the terms of your divorce, your divorce becomes a contested divorce. You could be fighting each other every step of the way, or you could be in disagreement about who gets the car. It doesn’t matter how many terms you’re contesting, or what terms – if there’s disagreement, your divorce is contested.

In a contested divorce, you and your spouse turn to a judge to make the decisions that the two of you can’t make. It’s possible to turn your contested divorce into an uncontested divorce if you’re able to reach agreements about any difficult terms while your going through the motions with your contested divorce lawyers from Modesto, CA, but in many cases the judge has final say.

In some cases, a couple can’t even agree that they want a divorce in the first place. This is when a no-fault divorce comes into play. No-fault divorces depend on the state, but they’re issued when there’s an important and unavoidable incompatibility between the spouses. If you’re stuck in a marriage and you want out, but your spouse doesn’t agree, you can seek a no-fault divorce.

What Can I Expect from an Uncontested or Contested Divorce?

An uncontested divorce is typically a lot easier to work with, but there’s a catch: An uncontested divorce can’t be appealed later. When you appeal the terms of a divorce, you are making an argument that there was a mistake during the legal process. This is usually a strategy that can give you a second chance at renegotiating the terms of your divorce.

Fortunately, you can still make adjustments to the terms of your uncontested divorce after you and your spouse come to an agreement. For example, in the event of major life changes (such as losing a job) you may need to adjust how much you pay in spousal support. In this case, you and your ex would need to come up with a modified agreement.

Uncontested and contested divorces take lots of research, and if you want to prepare yourself for every possible fight when it comes to your divorce, reach out to AttorneyBernie.com to see how a contested divorce lawyer in Modesto, CA can help you today.