Respected Akron, Ohio, Area Divorce Lawyers
If you are considering filing for divorce, we encourage you to talk to us about what to expect and how best to proceed. If your spouse has filed a complaint for divorce against you, your tendency might be to put off making major decisions. In either situation, to protect yourself please contact Randal A. Lowry & Associates today. Deadlines are involved, and taking the first, critical planning steps now can prevent serious regrets later on.
Taking Action to Protect Your Interests from Day One
As for divorce timelines and initial considerations, some important points are:
- In Ohio, the party served with a complaint has only 28 days to respond with an answer and/or counterclaim.
- At a hearing scheduled soon after the answer/counterclaim, the court will issue temporary orders on issues such as whether one spouse must vacate the marital residence, child custody and visitation, child support (sometimes called alimony), spousal support, and the handling of ongoing financial matters.
- Temporary orders will be in place for the entire time it takes to finalize a divorce settlement or complete a trial — up to a year or more in some contested cases.
- Especially if you have substantial property to divide or believe major issues may be contested in a complex divorce, it is critical to start working with a qualified attorney very early in this process.
Negotiation First, with Preparation for All Possibilities
Even if you are able to resolve all issues amicably and file for dissolution of marriage (similar to an uncontested divorce), we believe retaining counsel is important. We can also discuss the possibility of resolving your case through mediation, arbitration, or collaborative law.
Hiring a lawyer does not mean your case must go all the way to trial, or that it must be handled as a bitter dispute. It simply positions you to protect your interests and exercise some control over what will happen. For most people we serve, in fact, a primary goal is to settle any disagreements and avoid trial.
If negotiation cannot get favorable results, as when a divorcing spouse persists in making unreasonable demands, we will pull out all the stops fighting for you. With a proven litigator on your side, a trial can even be turned into an opportunity to achieve a better outcome than we initially targeted. Contact our able negotiators and trial lawyers for representation you can trust.
