© 2024 All rights reserved. Musselwhite Staples Hafley & Johnson LAW
Even under the best of circumstances a divorce is a difficult emotional experience to go through. When children are involved they often suffer through the emotional upheaval as well. Although a divorce or legal separation doesn’t have to be an adversarial process, it often is. To ensure that your rights are protected throughout a divorce or custody lawsuit, you need experienced Kentucky lawyers on your side.
At Musselwhite Staples Hafley & Johnson, we understand how difficult a divorce or custody lawsuit can be for everyone involved. Our compassionate lawyers are right here in Radcliff, serving Elizabethtown, Hardin County and surrounding Kentucky counties, to help families through the processes. Contact us today by calling 270-351-6032 or by filling out our online contact form. We practice family law routinely in Hardin.
The decision to end a marriage is not an easy one. Once that decision is made, however, numerous other decisions must follow. Either you or your spouse will need to formally file a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. The Petitioner must then serve the Respondent with the Petition and any other relevant documents. The Respondent then has a specific amount of time within which to file a formal response in the form of an Answer. If you have been served with a Petition for Dissolution it is very important that you file an Answer. Simply ignoring the Petition could lead to losing some of your rights in the divorce.
Once the divorce has been filed the parties have the option to speed the process up considerably by reaching an agreement that covers all of the issues in the divorce. If an agreement is not forthcoming then the litigation phase of your divorce begins. Both sides will engage in “discovery” which is the information gathering stage of a divorce. If minor children are involved the court may order further investigation of both parents to help the court decide custody and visitation issues. Eventually, if the parties remain unable to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement that covers all issues the case will go to trial and a judge will decide the issues.
While divorce can be emotionally traumatic for the adults involved, it is even more so for the children. If the parties cannot agree to custody of the children, the court will have to decide. Unfortunately, custody lawsuits, whether part of a divorce or not, can be stressful, antagonistic, and emotionally draining. Unless the court is convinced that it would not be in the child’s best interest, the court will usually grant visitation to the non-custodial parent once a primary custodian has been designated by the court. Typically, child support will also be ordered once custody has been decided.
The Kentucky divorce and custody attorneys at Musselwhite Staples Hafley & Johnson understand how difficult a divorce can be, even if you are the party pursuing the divorce. To ensure that your emotional state does not cloud the important issues in your divorce, you need the advice and assistance of an experienced family law attorney. Contact us today by calling (270) 351-6032 or by filling out our online contact form so that we can get started helping you through this difficult time.
© 2024 All rights reserved. Musselwhite Staples Hafley & Johnson LAW