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When people first get married, they are the best of friends. They enjoy spending time together and share many common interests.
However, at some point, a marriage may break down because the two spouses have grown apart. Everything and everyone changes and it is only natural
that not every marriage can last forever. Certainly, people who are married should do their best to maintain a happy, loving and mutually supportive
relationship. However, if they finally conclude that they are no longer meant to remain together as a married couple, then, getting divorced is something that
they will need to pursue.
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Generally speaking, there are two types of divorces: contested divorces and uncontested divorces. A "contested divorce" is a type of divorce
where the two spouses do not agree on the details of their divorce and they normally end up with each of them being represented by their own divorce lawyer.
In a contested divorce, the divorce is litigated in court and it can frequently take many years and cost many thousands of dollars for the spouses to have their case decided in Court.
Going through a contested divorce is a very costly and emotionally draining experience.
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On the other hand, a "uncontested divorce" is a type of divorce where both of the spouses agree on the details of their divorce.
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This can include distribution of their marital property and marital debts, the payment of spousal support (commonly called alimony), from one spouse to the other for a period of time.
If they have minor children from their marriage, then, they would also reach an agreement regarding the issues of custody, visitation and child support for their children.
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An uncontested divorce is commonly also referred to as an "amicable divorce" because it is viewed as a "friendly divorce" proceeding where married couples
work together to reach an agreement about their divorce so they can avoid having to litigate a contested divorce in court.
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TIP # 1
Remain calm when you discuss and negotiate the terms of your divorce with your spouse.
To pursue an amicable uncontested divorce, try as best as possible, to not argue with your spouse when you discuss and negotiate the terms of your divorce.
If both of you realize that it is in your common interest to reach an agreement regarding the issues of your divorce, you will be able to avoid the harsh experience of going
through a contested divorce.
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TIP # 2
If possible, pursue filing your divorce using the "no-fault" grounds for divorce.
Generally speaking, the "grounds" of a divorce can be thought of as the "legally recognizable" "reason" the couple do not want to remain married.
Every State in the United States has published specific "grounds" that are allowed for filing a divorce in that state. There are two types of "grounds", "fault" based grounds
and "no-fault" grounds. The fault based grounds require the filing spouse to describe and prove the specific "fault" of the other spouse.
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By comparison, when the "no-fault" grounds
are used to file for divorce, neither spouse has to allege or prove fault by the other spouse.
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The most common no-fault grounds in various U.S. states simply require one or both of the spouses to allege in the divorce
papers that are filed in court that their marriage has irreparably or irretrievably broken down and cannot be resolved.
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Different states use different language and words for the no-fault grounds based on an "unresolvable
breakdown of a marriage", but the underlying concept is the same:
that a divorce is sought because the spouses cannot get along as a married couple. Neither spouse blames the other spouse for the breakdown of their marriage in a no-fault divorce.
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TIP # 3
To get a very low-cost uncontested divorce see if you qualify to complete your divorce forms online with a company like LetsGetDivorced.com.
If you and your spouse both agree to file your divorce as an amicable uncontested no-fault divorce, then you have several options as to how you can go about having your divorce forms prepared and filed with the court.
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1. One option, is you can hire an uncontested divorce lawyer to prepare your divorce papers and file them in court. On average, an Attorney's legal fee can be several hundred dollars an hour (not including court filing fees), with average total Attorney legal fees for a simple uncontested divorce with no children or property between $500 - $1,500.
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If you have a very simple case you might want to look around for ads for affordable divorce lawyers and see if they offer a low flat fee to handle your case. An Attorney can provide legal advice which might be essential to have if you have a more complex divorce.
Make sure the Attorney is licensed to practice in the state you want to file your divorce in and very experienced handling your type of divorce case. For example, if you want to file your divorce in New York state, you would hire a New York Divorce Attorney. Similarly, if you wanted to file your divorce in the state of Texas, you would hire a Texas divorce lawyer.
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2. Another option, is you can hire a "paralegal service" that has experience preparing uncontested divorce forms. A paralegal cannot provide legal advice but they will most likely charge much less than a divorce lawyer to
type up your divorce papers. Some paralegals will also file your divorce forms with the court.
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3. Another option, is you can use an online divorce forms preparation company to obtain your completed uncontested divorce forms and marital settlement agreement, which are ready to sign and file with the court. With this approach,
you would be doing what is called a "do it yourself divorce". After you obtain your completed divorce forms from the online divorce company's website (by first entering your divorce details into an online divorce questionnaire),
you and your spouse would sign the documents, and then you would file your divorce papers in court and pay the court's filing fee(s) directly to the court.
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For people who want to file an amicable uncontested divorce in New York State, (commonly referred to as a New York no-fault divorce), or, if they want to file an agreed uncontested no-fault divorce in Texas, then, using an online divorce forms company like LetsGetDivorced.com may be a perfect
solution for them.
You can click here for more details.
I founded LetsGetDivorced.com to provide an easy-to-use and very affordable online divorce papers service where people can prepare their own simple uncontested divorce forms online in less an hour.
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LetsGetDivorced charges a one time flat fee of only $99 to use their do-it-yourself online divorce forms preparation service. There are no hidden fees or extra charges to use this company's online service to prepare your divorce papers.
LetsGetDivorced.com is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to its customers. Free, unlimited customer support for the online process is provided by phone or email.
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Some final words of advice.
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How to have a successful amicable uncontested divorce:
- Stay positive!
- Be grateful for the good things in your life!
- Deeply believe that you deserve to be happy!
- Find ways everyday to move forward with your life!
- Try to stay on good terms with your former spouse... or at least to not be enemies!
- Don't sweat the small stuff!
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