The Divorce Process in North Carolina

How do I get a divorce? This is a common question for people seeking the services of a divorce attorney. North Carolina is a no-fault divorce jurisdiction. This basically means that you do not need a reason to seek a divorce. Statutorily, to file for divorce in North Carolina, you must have lived separate and apart for at least a year and a day, and have resided in North Carolina for at least 6 months before filing for divorce.

Before considering divorce it is highly recommended that you seek a consultation with a divorce attorney. Divorce can be very simple or very complicated. Typically, the longer a couple has been married, the more assets they have acquired and the more likely they have children. Assets and children are often the primarily litigious issues in divorce. During a consultation, a divorce attorney can assist you in developing a strategy for protecting yourself, separating, asserting any claims you may have, and filing for divorce.

Understand that once a husband and wife separate, certain claims must be filed before the divorce is finalized or they are lost forever. This mainly comes into play when we are talking about alimony and equitable distribution. If no claims are made for these issues before the divorce is finalized, the claims will not exist. A divorce attorney can help determine what actions you need to file and when you need to file them.

Once you have hired a divorce attorney that works well for you, have an honest consultation to determine the best strategy to take during the divorce. Although this is an extremely stressful situation for you, your divorce attorney likely deals with divorce issues on a daily basis and may be able to provide you with sound advice concerning your divorce.

Once you’ve developed a sound strategy concerning your divorce, do your best to abide by this. Although this may be hard, the majority of divorces end in separation agreement with the parties consenting to stipulations concerning the divorce. Thus, if applicable to your situation, consider the fact that negotiations and consent agreements are preferable in divorce. This saves both sides money, time, stress, privacy, and gives more control over the decisions that are made. 

If you are considering divorce and need to speak with a divorce attorney concerning the divorce process in Mecklenburg County, please contact Adkins Law to schedule a consultation. Adkins Law is located in Huntersville and primarily serves Huntersville, the Lake Norman area, and the greater Charlotte area.

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