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Taking The Appropriate Measures Once Divorce Papers Have Been Served

Arizona’s Trusted Divorce Attorneys Explain What To Do After Receiving Divorce Papers

You may have talked with your spouse about your desire to get a divorce and maybe even a few things about what will happen after your divorce, such as who will move out, where the kids will stay, and so on. But the first official step in your divorce is one part filing the paperwork, followed by the other party being served the petition for divorce.

If you are the one who is served the petition for divorce, you need to take certain actions. You can’t just accept the papers and wait for the next step. Here are the appropriate steps to take once you have been served divorce papers:

Read The Whole Divorce Petition

You may feel angry when you receive the divorce petition, and you may feel an impulse to just throw them right in the trash. Or maybe getting the papers makes you feel sad, and you want to just put them in a drawer and forget about them. But you can’t do any of those things! There are important details in that paperwork, including the date by which you have to respond.

It is important that you read the entire petition carefully so you can get all the information you can. You’ll learn what grounds your spouse is using to file for divorce, what attorney is representing them, and what the deadline is for you to file a response, among other things. All this information can influence your next steps.

Consult With An Expert Arizona Divorce Lawyer

Before you can plan your next steps, you need to talk with an experienced divorce attorney about what your legal rights are and what your options are for proceeding. Your divorce attorney will review whatever information is contained in the petition and will then talk with you to get extensive information about your marriage, including what led to the divorce, what kind of assets you have together, whether you have children, what kind of current financial or custody arrangement you have with your spouse, and so on.

Your divorce attorney will help you understand what kind of options you have for dividing assets, for child support or custody, and more. Your Glendale attorney will give you a realistic understanding of what to expect, whether you plan to try to negotiate with your spouse directly or you want to take the divorce to court.

Prepare & File a Response To The Divorce Petition

Once you have developed a strategy or some goals with your Mesa divorce attorney, your attorney will be able to prepare and file a response to the petition on your behalf. You can file your own response, but it is not recommended that you do this. You are not a legal expert, and you can easily make mistakes that could cost you assets or other things you want in the divorce.

The response that your divorce attorney prepares can include your own grounds for divorce, if they differ, as well as your own proposal for division of assets and debts, your own child custody proposal, and more.

Your response is just the beginning of your divorce negotiations. Your Avondale divorce lawyer will represent you in any conversations you have going forward, whether you meet to mediate, you attempt negotiation through your lawyers, or you have to appear before a judge in court. Your divorce attorney will counsel you at every step of the way to help you make the right choices to get the resolution you want. Your attorney will fight for you to get the best settlement you can, as well as the best child support and custody arrangement for your family. Make sure you find the best divorce attorney you can to represent you.

Call Glendale’s Trusted Divorce Attorneys

If you know you are facing a divorce or you have already been served with your divorce petition, call My AZ Lawyers today to talk with one of our experienced divorce attorneys about your next steps. Our goal is to help you get the best divorce settlement you can get, as well as to get the child custody arrangement that you feel would be best for your family. We’ll help you understand your options and develop the best strategy for the greatest chances of success. We offer free, same-day consultations and fast filings. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with a divorce attorney and get started.