Ending a marriage is one of the most unfortunate and stressful experiences in a family’s life. But when that moment comes that divorce becomes inevitable, it is best to go with the flow and find the most peaceful way out of it.
Suppose neither of the spouses wishes to challenge the grounds for divorce, and the parties have reached an agreement on all issues, especially regarding children and property. In that case, there is a good chance to proceed with an uncontested divorce. In this way, a divorcing couple avoids a trial and related financial expenses.
According to the United States Census Bureau, about 80% of all divorces in the United States in 2018-2019 were uncontested. The fact that spouses often opt for this type of divorce is not surprising because it has several considerable advantages. Let’s review the most compelling reasons why you should choose uncontested divorce as your primary solution.
You will save money on lawyers.
Divorce is not only a lifestyle change but also a financial challenge. When you are on the verge of ending your marriage, it is crucial to be aware of the expenses you are likely to incur: attorney’s fees, alternative dispute resolution costs, and legal costs.
On average, contested divorce costs $15,500 in the US. The most expensive item on the list is lawyer fees since their hourly rate starts from $250 per hour.
If you manage to negotiate an uncontested divorce, it will eliminate the lawyer and mediator from the picture. You will only have to pay legal costs, which vary depending on the state and county. For example, in California, the cost of filing a claim is over $400. Fortunately, those who cannot afford legal costs can apply for a waiver. The court will grant the request if the person has a low income or does not have the funds to pay court costs.
You will get a divorce faster.
The length of a divorce process depends on many factors, including the type of divorce. A traditional marriage dissolution involves multiple court hearings can last well over a year. For an uncontested divorce, the process is shortened considerably.
If the spouses can reach an amicable agreement and resolve all issues before a court hearing, the process will go much faster. Though it varies by states, most uncontested divorce cases take two to three months to finalize.
Therefore, it is better to avoid protracted battles and come to a peaceful agreement. It will save you a lot of time that you can spend pursuing your career, getting to know your children better, getting together with friends, traveling, and more. Don’t waste your precious time on fights in court.
You will maintain a good relationship with your ex-spouse.
Divorce is associated with considerable stress for everyone involved. Adults react to it with a wide range of feelings, such as anger, guilt, sadness, and fear. All these negative emotions can feed conflict between spouses during the separation.
By calmly communicating with your ex-spouse and resolving all issues peacefully, you keep negative emotions out of the equation, allowing you to maintain a healthy relationship with your spouse in the future. This is especially beneficial for children because quarrels between parents cause stress and guilt for them. Therefore, always try to maintain civilized relations with your ex-spouse. After all, the divorce will occur anyway; all anger achieves is making a bad situation much worse.
The mutual decision to get an uncontested divorce will create an ideal foundation for communication — a neutral format with a tolerant attitude towards each other without interfering with personal life.
You will avoid stress.
Parting is always a painful process, no matter how much you speed it up. But letting yourself feel the pain is necessary to get rid of it as soon as possible. During this time, it is best to designate your personal space, which you will gradually learn to fill with new thoughts, people, and activities.
During this challenging period, you need to put selfishness aside and have a meaningful conversation with your spouse. Keep your frustration from escalating because you need to stay focused. It is far better to sit down at the negotiating table and reach an agreement than go through a lengthy trial.
By negotiating an uncontested divorce with your spouse, you will significantly reduce the amount of stress and its impact on your health. You can avoid sharing private details with strangers, which will happen when you use attorneys and dispute issues in court. And while separation inevitably leaves an unpleasant residue as an aftertaste, you shouldn’t add more negative emotions.
You will control the outcome of your divorce.
Married couples make the divorce process more civilized by agreeing on the property, children, and financial support issues. When the parties to the marriage dissolution process can agree on all terms and present the court with a fair and equitable settlement agreement, its approval is almost guaranteed.
In an uncontested divorce, both spouses work together to create post-divorce conditions that they desire. On the contrary, by refusing to solve their issues jointly, couples place all power over their future in the court’s hands.
Thus, by entering into an amicable divorce, you will control its outcome because you are the one who dictates the terms, which a judge approves during a court hearing.
Conclusion
Our daily decisions shape our life and cause it to flow in a particular direction. How our future will look depends only on our choices. For essential issues like family, marriage, and divorce, it is necessary to be especially careful and focused. You must think soberly and keep emotions at bay to prevent them from taking control of the situation.
Naturally, divorce proceedings are no picnic. So don’t add negative feelings to an already painful emotional process. Besides, an uncontested divorce is much more bearable and more comfortable to get through than traditional court litigation. Make an effort to come to an amicable agreement with your spouse, and it will pay off in full in the future.
