Most of our readers in Texas probably have a pretty good understanding of the basics of a divorce case. In general, most divorce cases will involve the same issues: property division, alimony, child support and child custody, among others. But, the facts of each case can vary quite a bit. In addition to the common issues that need to be addressed, there is also a common timeline of how a divorce case unfolds.
Of course, the legal process of any divorce case will begin with one spouse or the other having the appropriate legal documents drafted and filed with the proper court. From there, those documents will need to be “served” on the other spouse – which means that the documents are delivered to that spouse in a verifiable fashion.
After the proper documents have been drafted, filed and served, the spouse who was served with the original documents will have an opportunity to respond to the claims. But, there is a certain amount of time allowed for that response – the spouse doesn’t get forever.
Once all the initiating documents have been exchanged and the parties are clear on each other’s positions in the divorce case, they will exchange information about assets, in particular, as well as income and debts. From there, it is time to see if the parties can work toward an out-of-court agreement on their own, or if mediation is necessary, or, in a very minor number of cases, if a trial is necessary to decide all of the issues.
