The Divorce Process: A Step By Step Guide

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.

Christy Bieber, J.D. Contributor

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.

Written By Christy Bieber, J.D. Contributor

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.

Christy Bieber, J.D. Contributor

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has.

Contributor

Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.

Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.

Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.

Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida. After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Co.

Updated: Jul 25, 2024, 7:40am

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The Divorce Process: A Step By Step Guide

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Table of Contents

Marriage is more than just a romantic partnership. It is a legal relationship that gives you certain rights and obligations. If you want to end your marriage, you need to go through the divorce process in order for the state to formally dissolve your union.

The steps of divorce can be complicated, and it can take time to become single again. This guide to the divorce process step by step will help you to understand what to expect so you can be prepared for all the hoops you’ll need to jump through if you no longer wish to be married to your spouse.

What Is Involved in the Divorce Process?

Divorce occurs when the court legally ends your marriage. You are not considered divorced in the eyes of the law until a judge signs a divorce decree.

In addition to ending your marriage, most divorces decide how your marital property is divided, whether alimony or spousal support is owed and how custody of your children is shared.

The specific steps of the divorce vary by state, so it is important to learn the rules for where you live. In most states, however, you will need to complete similar steps of divorce before your marriage can be dissolved.

There are also different types of divorce, including fault and no-fault divorces and contested and uncontested divorces. You and your spouse will need to consider what is right for you, as well as for any children who are involved.

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Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and legal topics understandable and fun. Her work has appeared on Forbes, CNN Underscored Money, Investopedia, Credit Karma, The Balance, USA Today, and Yahoo Finance, among others.

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