Deciding that you want to separate from your spouse or partner can be an incredibly difficult decision, but once you’ve made the choice it’s important to know how to go about getting a divorce so that you can move on with your life. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has specific laws regarding marriage and divorce which will become significant when you attempt to contact a divorce attorney in Harrisburg in order to gain more information on how to go about beginning the process. While trial separations are never easy, knowing which steps to take can help make the process significantly easier and more manageable while you try to figure out how to proceed.
First and foremost, it is important to know the difference between a ‘legal separation’ and a ‘divorce’. A legal separation is just that – a marriage between individuals who wish to separate. A divorce dissolves all legal relationships between two people. If you know for certain that you wish to receive a divorce, then it will be important to know where to locate a divorce attorney Harrisburg, since negotiating in court without an attorney can be difficult and will probably reflect poorly on you unless you are well-versed in legal vernacular.
The first step which your divorce attorney in Harrisburg will recommend will be to file a petition for divorce. Once the petition has been filed, the process will have begun, and your spouse will be given a specific number of days to respond to the petition. Once your spouse replies, the clerk of the court will either set a date and time for the two of you to meet in court and discuss your case in front of a judge, or arrange a time for mediation where you and your spouse will be able to attempt to come to amicable terms of agreement on division of property and possessions.
Having negotiated your terms with your divorce attorney in Harrisburg, you will be prepared for all eventual outcomes resulting from the judge’s opinion of your case, or your negotiations with your spouse. If all goes well, you should find yourselves divorced from one another, and ready to proceed with the rest of your independent lives. If you do not feel that a fair conclusion was reached in your divorce, you may ask to have the case returned to trial for reinvestigation.
