Many divorcing couples in Florida litigate or go to court to resolve their disagreements. Family law judges have the authority to both divide people’s property and divide up parental rights and responsibilities between parents who no longer intend to live together.
It can be a relief to turn to a neutral third party to resolve the disagreement that you currently have with your ex. However, a significant number of divorcing couples in Florida every year may commit weeks to collaborative negotiations or pay extra money to work with a mediator too. The goal is to resolve their disputes outside of court and file for uncontested divorces.
Why do some couples invest so much in pursuing an uncontested filing?
They want to keep their costs low
Although it may require hours of time with your attorney or even the help of a neutral third party who serves as a mediator to resolve your disputes with your spouse, doing so outside of court is typically far more cost-effective than trying to resolve your disagreements in family court.
If you and your spouse manage to reach a settlement on your own, your divorce could cost, on average, $4,100. However, if you fight about two or more issues and litigate, your divorce will cost an average of $23,300.
They want to protect their privacy
Divorce often requires that couples revisit serious problems from within their marriage like substance abuse or infidelity. If you have to talk about these matters in open court, they can become part of the public record and therefore community knowledge.
Those who would prefer to keep such matters private can discuss the impact of marital misconduct and family problems behind closed doors without such matters ending up aired in open court.
They have goals on which they refuse to compromise
Maybe you have dedicated years of your life to rehabbing the home where you live, and you intend to remain at that property regardless of what else happens in your divorce. Maybe there are custody terms on which you cannot and will not compromise.
Those with very specific hopes for their upcoming divorce proceedings can ensure that they secure those specific results if they negotiate an uncontested divorce settlement. Judges can be unpredictable, which means that litigated divorces often do not have the outcome that either spouse would prefer.
Understanding why so many people in Florida choose uncontested divorces can help you determine the best approach to your upcoming family law matter.