The decision to get a divorce is a major life moment. For many people, it has taken months or even years to get to the point, mentally, where they have finally decided that the relationship is beyond saving and that divorce is the best option in a bad situation. However, from that major decision, many questions will spring forward about the actual divorce legal process. One question looms over all others: Will you need to take your divorce case to trial or will you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse be able to settle the terms of the divorce out-of-court?
A recent news article examined these two paths and cited a number of factors that will likely come into play in how any given divorce case ultimately ends. For starters, one significant factor is time. If a divorce case is careening toward a trial in a family law courtroom, the case is likely to take much longer to get wrapped up than if the parties are able to negotiate an out-of-court settlement. And, as a result of the extended period of time that may be the result of taking a case to trial, another factor comes into play as well: money. It will usually cost a Michigan resident a significantly higher amount of financial resources to take a divorce case to trial instead of attempting to settle out-of-court.
Lastly, the recent news article mentioned that stress will likely be higher when a divorce case goes to trial, and the outcome may be uncertain in such a course of action. In all, it may seem to our readers that negotiating an out-of-court settlement is always the better way to go, but that isn’t necessarily true.
While most divorce cases do settle out-of-court, some couples simply cannot agree on certain terms of the divorce. In such cases, a trial on at least some of the divorce issues may be necessary.