Unfortunately, not everyone is destined to have a great happy marriage – especially in the great and infamous city of Las Vegas. Divorce lawyers in this city, thus, enjoy significant profits and demand for their work – but this does not mean that it is painless to find a skillful divorce lawyer in Las Vegas. In fact, it is quite the opposite. There are few genuinely competent divorce lawyers in Las Vegas, and an even rarer catch is a skilled uncontested divorce lawyer.
Thus, to determine quality uncontested divorce attorneys in Las Vegas, you will need to get at least a basic grasp on this topic. What is an uncontested divorce, how much does it differ from a contested divorce, what’s important to know about Las Vegas divorce records and proceedings and how to find a proper Las Vegas divorce attorney – read about it in this article.
How to make papers for an uncontested divorce in Las Vegas?
Legal grounds for divorce
There are two distinct divorce policies commonly known as “fault” or “no-fault” in the USA. Fault-based divorces require proven spousal misconduct (adultery, desertion, cruelty, etc.) to proceed – that being said, you can’t divorce on demand. With no-fault, divorce can proceed even if neither party accuses the other of wrongdoing.
In the great state of Nevada, a “no-fault” policy is adopted. Still, before filing divorce claims, be sure to check that you have legal grounds to do so:
- You are incompatible (or have “irreconcilable differences”) with your spouse;
- You have lived separately with your spouse for at least one year;
- Your spouse has been pronounced legally insane for at least two years before divorce proceedings.
Getting the required divorce papers ready
This step would have been hard should you go the contested divorce route, but it is considerably more manageable if you’ve chosen to follow through the uncontested divorce path.
Thus, to begin with, you and your spouse need to file a “Joint Petition for Divorce” and additional forms:
- affidavit with a witness who will confirm your residency;
- a document that certifies that you’ve completed a required parenting seminar should you have minor children;
- The Decree of Divorce.
Remember that by filing a joint petition, you are essentially giving up your right to file an appeal or request a new trial in your case. Thus, it’s wise to allocate some funds to have a divorce lawyer in Las Vegas write down your agreement – or at least review it – so that you will know exactly both your legal rights and liabilities under the given agreement terms.
Filing the divorce papers
Then, to finally begin the divorce process, file the papers with the Las Vegas district court clerk’s office (provided that this is where you live, or your spouse lives and can be found, or the two of you previously lived together. The divorce papers can be filed either in person, by mail, or electronically.
Employing the uncontested divorce lawyer in Las Vegas
Even though you’re already following the path of less resistance with an uncontested divorce, you can go further and follow the path of least resistance by employing a Las Vegas, uncontested divorce attorney. His job will be to do the steps above for a modest fee so that you will not have to waste your own time. Additionally, the lack of mistakes (which are undoubtedly easy to make in the judiciary system) is guaranteed.
What is the difference: between contested and uncontested divorce?
An uncontested divorce is a divorce decree in which both parties agree that they have no issues with each other and may simply end their marriage without any further legal action.
So, should both parties in a marriage agree to divorce, divorcing uncontestedly and filing corresponding claims can make the whole process relatively easier, saving time and funds due to specific streamlined court procedures? Default conditions for the Las Vegas uncontested divorce are as follows:
- The couple should not have any financial disagreements;
- Husband and wife should be in common agreement regarding the divorce (though should one person not arrive at the divorce court hearings, it will also be considered an agreement for the divorce).
Indeed, more complicated families with related divorce issues may not be able to land inside these parameters; anyway, if both sides of the divorce are well-informed and agree on the important question of any divorce (child custody, support, property distribution, alimony, etc.), a routine non-conflicted divorce can save money, energy, and time significantly.
How much time does the uncontested divorce in Las Vegas take?
It often only takes one to three weeks to be over with an uncontested Las Vegas divorce. Compare it with contested divorce – whose process is rarely shorter than three months. If the properties and divorce issues are incredibly complex, even longer – and see for yourself why Las Vegas’ uncontested divorce lawyer may come in handy.
Bear in mind an important detail, though: the state of Nevada – and, therefore, Las Vegas – has a six-week residency requirement, which means that at least one of the parties ought to relocate to Nevada at least six weeks before the divorce claim.
How much does the uncontested divorce in Las Vegas cost?
To begin with, the filing fee for a divorce proceeding in Nevada is $299 – and this fee is undoubtedly non-negotiable. Then, in Las Vegas, the divorce lawyer fee for an uncontested divorce may range from $300 to $3000, depending on the prestige and renown of the divorce lawyer. Overall, you might have to spend from $500 to $3500 even for your uncontested divorce, including filing fees, process server fees, notary fees, publication costs, and labor. Since the divorce is uncontested, you may as well split the price with your spouse.
It is worth mentioning that anyone who offers you help with an uncontested divorce proceeding for $500 or less may try to cheat you. That is a minimal sum, which means you are having a deal with either a notary or a paralegal, but not an honest lawyer – so the $500 sum may not include any fees, for example. Thus, for this money, you may do most of the work to get your divorce done alone!