Chelsea Divorce Lawyers

Divorce can be much more straightforward when you and your spouse are able to come to an agreement regarding property division, child support, visitation, and all other issues arising from the marriage. If you are able in agreement on these things across the board, our Chelsea divorce lawyer will likely be able to get you two a cheap and quick divorce.

Otherwise, our team can still help you along the path of a contested divorce should these issues not be resolved. Since Contested divorces tend to be much more expensive and extensive, we typically encourage couples to opt for uncontested when they can, but if no agreement can be reached, contested divorce will be the only way to get awarded what you need by the judge. Filing for an uncontested divorce is the most straightforward way to get a cheap divorce in Shelby County.

Our Chelsea divorce lawyers charge flat fees for uncontested divorces in  Shelby County, Jefferson County, and throughout Central Alabama.

The uncontested divorce may require additional fees if there are substantial property or tax considerations involved, business interests, paternity issues, retirement issues, or any other complex issues that would require more time of the attorney. There is also a filing fee that the county charges when a divorce is filed. This filing fee varies from county to county. Give our Chelsea divorce lawyer a call today for more information about the filing fee in your county.

Should you and your partner be ready to start the process, begin by filling out and sending us our initial questionnaire online – just go to the sidebar on this page. Whether you need a divorce attorney in Pell City, Sylacauga, or Shelby County, if you have any questions about filing a divorce our Chelsea divorce attorneys can help.

It’s essential to consult with an experienced Chelsea divorce lawyer to help you through the process of filing for divorce correctly. Contact our office to speak to experienced contested divorce attorneys in Shelby County and go over the process and the fees over the phone. For those interested in cheap and easy divorce in Chelsea, Alabama, we can help you through the process of an uncontested divorce.

An uncontested divorce consists mainly of filing paperwork properly as long as the two of you have agreed on all marital issues. You’ll need to fill out the questionnaire explaining what you’ve agreed to (along with any additional information needed to prepare all of the required forms and documents) and return it to us so our Chelsea divorce lawyer can begin the process.

Filing for an uncontested divorce is relatively simple. For any questions you may have, our Chelsea divorce attorneys are here to explaining the answers over the phone – an in-office consultation is typically not necessary.  Again, it is very important that both you and your spouse are in total agreement on all marital issues to proceed with an uncontested divorce filing.

If an agreement cannot be reached and you wish to get divorced, then you will likely have to file a contested divorce.  This is where one party files for divorce and serves the other party with the divorce paperwork.  The other spouse, once served, has a limited amount of time to respond and if they do not, then the filing party may be able to receive their divorce by default.  If the other party does respond, then there will usually be hearings set and a contested divorce will begin.  A contested divorce continues until both parties either reach an agreement as to all contested issues or have a trial and let the judge in their case decide these issues for them.

We can help you get a contested divorce, but the fees are much higher. We will require a retainer up front of thousands of dollars, but exactly how much depends on your circumstances. Our Chelsea divorce attorney then bills out of that retainer at an hourly rate until he or she has worked enough so that the retainer is empty. At that point you have to refill the retainer in order for the attorney to keep working on the case. Call us today and speak with our Chelsea divorce lawyer for a quick phone consultation and let us quote you a retainer fee for your particular case.

It is always cheaper and simpler to reach an agreement beforehand and file an uncontested divorce, but if that is not possible then call our Chelsea divorce lawyers to discuss the contested divorce process in Shelby County, Alabama.

Even in a quick and easy uncontested divorce, each county can have different document requirements, so it is important to have a local divorce lawyer file your cheap divorce in Chelsea, Alabama.  If you need a divorce lawyer in Chelsea, Alabaster, Gardendale, Hoover, Birmingham, or Pelham, then your divorce will most likely be filed in either Shelby County or the Shelby County Domestic Relations Court, both of which have specific divorce requirements that other counties may not have.

For example, when filing an uncontested divorce in Shelby County there are certain documents that must have language included in them that are unique to that county.  If you are filing an uncontested divorce and live in Chelsea, then there are very specific requirements concerning when your divorce documents should be signed and filed.  If these requirements are not met, and the proper motions and other pleadings are not filed in the proper way, then they are likely to dismiss your case and you will have to file it all over again.

If you want an online divorce in Alabama and are using an online divorce document preparation program, then they will usually not have such county specific language in them and it can cause your divorce to be dismissed by the judge assigned to your case.  Our Chelsea divorce lawyers are familiar with all of these local rules and will work to ensure that all documents are filed correctly and in compliance with the local rules.  This is why an actual Chelsea uncontested divorce attorney is necessary and having a national online document preparation company prepare your divorce documents may not be the best decision.

If you need a divorce attorney in Hueytown, Bessemer, Trussville, Homewood, Fultondale, or Gardendale then you will most likely be filing in Jefferson County.  If you need a divorce in Alabaster, Calera, Pelham, Helena, or Chelsea then you will likely be filing in the Shelby County Courts.  The Shelby County Courthouse is located in Columbiana, Alabama and if you call us today we can tell you what the filing fee is there to file a divorce.

We have a nearby Birmingham office and our local divorce attorney regularly files divorces in Shelby County. He is a member of the local Birmingham Bar Association and the Central Alabama Better Business Bureau.  If you call our Chelsea divorce attorneys today, then we can answer any questions you may have, including helping to determine what courthouse to file your divorce in.

Another type of divorce we handle is contested divorce. Contested divorce is filed when a mutual agreement is not reached beforehand and you have your spouse served with the Complaint. Typically, following the serving, the spouse finds an attorney to represent them and files a response. Hearings are then set and your disagreements are ultimately decided by a judge.

At The Harris Firm, our lawyers will help you file a contested divorce properly. Unlike the uncontested route, the contested divorce attorney fees are significantly higher. As is industry standard, we do require a retainer for contested divorce services. We bill hourly and the amount, of course, depends on the amount of work performed.

When there are minor children involved, retainers are generally more than without children, however there are other factors that affect your retainer quote in the end. Feel free to reach out to our office today. We can go over your case and inform you of the retainer required up front to begin working on your case.

If you are residing in Alabaster, Calera, Vincent, Columbiana, Pelham, Westover, Chelsea, Hoover, Helena, or Montevallo then you will likely be filing in the Shelby County Courts.  The Shelby County Courthouse is located in Columbiana, Alabama.  If you call our Chelsea divorce attorneys today, then we can answer any questions you may have, including helping to determine what courthouse to file your divorce in.