What is divorce

You all must agree that if your divorce doesn't settle through the collaborative process, your original attorneys will withdraw and you'll have to hire different attorneys to take your case to court.

This is done to ensure that all participants, including the attorneys, are acting in good faith, with nothing to gain from veering away from the goal of settlement. In states that allow it, a third form of ADR is " divorce arbitration ". This option is the most similar to a trial, because the arbitrator usually an attorney or a retired judge will make a decision on your marital issues, after being presented with the facts of your case and reviewing the documentation you would ordinarily produce at trial.

The benefits of arbitration are that it's typically conducted in an informal—and thus less intimidating—setting than a courthouse usually the arbitrator's office and, as with the other forms of ADR, allows you the flexibility of picking meeting times that fit your schedules.

This makes it more cost-effective than having to make court appearances, which often involve sitting around racking up attorneys' fees while waiting for a judge to become available. The potential downside to arbitration is that, unlike mediation and collaborative divorce, the arbitrator's decision is almost invariably final. You give up your right to appeal it; a right you would have in a standard court trial. It's something of a roll of the dice in that regard, which is why arbitration isn't as popular as the other ADR methods.

Hodges , U. Divorce for same-sex couples is no different than for any other married couple. If you have questions about these procedures, contact a local family law attorney for advice. The laws vary from state to state. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site.

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What Is Divorce? Summary Divorce In many states, an expedited divorce procedure is available to couples who haven't been married for very long usually five years or less , don't own much property, don't have children, and don't have significant joint debts. Uncontested Divorce In terms of dealing with the court process, the path that normally generates the least amount of stress is an uncontested divorce.

Default Divorce A default divorce occurs when you've filed for divorce, and your spouse doesn't respond. Their constitution divorces church and state. First Known Use of divorce Noun 1 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb 15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1 Noun 2 , in the meaning defined above. History and Etymology for divorce Noun 1 and Verb Middle English divorse , from Anglo-French, from Latin divortium , from divertere, divortere to divert, to leave one's husband.

Learn More About divorce. Time Traveler for divorce The first known use of divorce was in the 14th century See more words from the same century. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Phrases Related to divorce sue for divorce. Statistics for divorce Look-up Popularity. Style: MLA. Kids Definition of divorce Entry 1 of 2. Kids Definition of divorce Entry 2 of 2. Legal Definition of divorce Entry 1 of 2. Legal Definition of divorce Entry 2 of 2. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary.

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? Love words? Desertion is a general ground of divorce , the law in every state prescribing a period of time, quite often three years. New Word List Word List. Save This Word! Compare judicial separation. See synonyms for divorce on Thesaurus. We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Words related to divorce annulment , breakup , dissolution , separation , split , disconnect , dissociate , separate , sever , breach , break , detachment , disparateness , dissociation , disunion , division , divorcement , partition , rupture , severance.