Gardendale Divorce Lawyers

If you need a Gardendale divorce lawyer to fight for you in a divorce trial, then our local attorneys can help. However, if you have reached an agreement with your spouse already, then one of the simplest ways of getting a divorce without entering into extensive litigation is to opt for an uncontested divorce.

Our Gardendale divorce attorneys can help you whether it is an uncontested or contested divorce but a contested divorce is much more expensive and time consuming. An uncontested divorce is available to couples who have no conflicts about their marital issues, such as visitation rights, assets and other things in kind. You and your spouse must be in total agreement on all issues to opt for an uncontested divorce in Gardendale.

Our Gardendale divorce lawyers are currently charging a low flat fee for an uncontested divorce throughout Jefferson County, Alabama. Alternatively, should you and your spouse not be in agreement on all issues, we can also help guide you via filing a contested divorce. It is important to note that with a contested divorce, there are still issues to resolve and a longer process ahead, which means there will be higher attorney fees incurred. Whichever filing is right for you, if you both reside in Gardendale or Fultondale, your divorce will likely be filed within Jefferson County, Alabama.

The uncontested divorce may require additional fees if there are 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 divorce attorney in Gardendale a call today for more information about the filing fee in your county.

Enlisting the help and expertise from an experienced divorce attorney in Gardendale who is familiar with the local requirements in Jefferson County is your best bet to smoothly and properly submit your divorce filing. Most counties have their own, unique local requirements that might have very specific language they require to be included in the filing documents.  The Gardendale divorce lawyers at The Harris Firm routinely file uncontested divorces in Jefferson County and are well versed on the local requirements.

When you and your spouse are able to come to an agreement on all marital issues such as division of property, custody and child support, and you both sign the documents prior to the divorce being filed, you are eligible for the easiest form of divorce – uncontested divorce in Gardendale.

Since a settlement agreement is filed with the divorce, the judge only needs to approve the agreement and issue your divorce decree. There are normally no hearings or court dates involved in this and makes the entire divorce process much more straightforward than a contested divorce. It normally takes about a month or two for the divorce decree to be issued following this stage.

Should the uncontested route not be an option, you will need to file a contested divorce. This type of divorce is your option when there is no prior agreement reached and you both need the intervention of a judge to decide on certain marital issues. In this case, one spouse would serve the other with a formal Complaint. Following this, the spouse who was served would hire a Gardendale or Fultondale divorce attorney to file a response. There are hearings set and the judge will ultimately decide your disagreements if the two of you cannot come to an agreement.

Whether it’s an uncontested or contested divorce you need, our team can help. However, it is important to note that the attorney fees associated with a contested divorce are significantly higher than an uncontested due to the conflict resolution and litigation involved, the hearings and the court fees. As do most divorce lawyers, our Gardendale divorce attorneys require a retainer for such services and the attorney will bill hourly in a manner dependent upon work performed. In conclusion, the more complex your divorce is and the longer it takes, the more expensive it will get.

Retainers for contested divorces can be thousands of dollars, but this all depends on how convoluted the issues are and how much they are contested by the opposite party. It is important to know that when minor children are of the marriage, retainers will be higher than in divorces without children involved. However, this is not the only factor that determines the prices.

To get a quote for the amount you will pay as a retainer that allows us to begin work on your case, call our Gardendale divorce lawyer today. You can expect a quick phone consultation with our Birmingham divorce attorney before we can quote you a fee, especially if there are minor children or other potentially complex issues involved. This is the reason an easy uncontested divorce is almost always cheaper and easier.

If you live in Gardendale, Fultondale, Irondale, Homewood, Warrior, Mount Olive, Birmingham, Hoover, Leeds, Vestavia Hills, Trussville, Pinson, or Bessemer, then your divorce will likely be filed in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County. If you are in Fultondale or the surrounding areas of Jefferson County and need a divorce lawyer, then give our Gardendale divorce lawyer a call today for more information.