You don’t want your divorce proceedings to last a minute longer than they need to. In Florida, divorce may take anywhere from 3 to 24 months depending on the level of conflict and disagreement between spouses. On average, most Florida divorces conclude within 12 months.

If you are contemplating divorce or just starting your proceedings, here’s the timeline you can expect.

How Long Does an Uncontested Divorce Take?

Also called a “simple divorce,” an uncontested divorce moves along at a faster pace and wraps up relatively quickly. However, this type of divorce can only occur under very specific circumstances:

• Both spouses agree to the divorce and state that the marriage is irretrievably broken.
• Spouses agree in writing to a custody arrangement that includes how time will be shared, where the children will go to school, and many other details.
• Spouses agree on the amount and length of alimony and child support.
• The division of assets, debts, and the marital home is mutually approved.

Since uncontested divorces don’t require a judge to make difficult decisions, they usually conclude within three to four months.

Although an uncontested divorce is less complicated, it is still important to have a divorce attorney by your side through the entire process. Divorce attorneys have the knowledge and experience to speed the process along as much as possible so that you can move on with your life.

How Long Does a Contested Divorce Take?

In a contested divorce, a judge is responsible for addressing the questions raised by divorce, including parenting, distribution of assets and debt, alimony, child support, and anything else.

Fully contested divorces often take more than a year to settle because a judge and the courts must get involved. This is the estimated timeline of a contested divorce:

• The case is prepared, filed, and served (4 weeks)
• Financial disclosure and discovery period (90 days)
• Mediation to attempt out-of-court agreement (4-5 months)
• Depositions (multiple months)
• Divorce trial preparation and trial (up to 6 months)

Each of these issues can become extremely complicated, which is why using a divorce attorney is crucial. The lawyers at Caveda Law Firm specialize in helping clients through contested and uncontested divorces alike. For support in your own divorce situation, call (813) 463-0800 to schedule your free consultation.