Starting this year, people who are getting a divorce in Tennessee won’t have to file for a contested divorce. Instead, they will have the option to filing for an uncontested divorce, which is often a faster resolution to end the marriage, if their circumstances meet certain requirements. This development could help to save time and money for some parents.
As mentioned, there are certain conditions that must be met for the uncontested divorce. You can’t have any retirement accounts or real property if you are going to file using the new uncontested divorce with children forms.
The new forms are only for people who have children together. In order to file this form, you and your ex will have to agree on all aspects of the divorce. This includes coming to an agreement on child custody, visitation and child support matters.
Even people who have an order of protection against their ex can use the new form as long as all of the other requirements are met. This new option was created to help people who want to get divorced but weren’t able to afford the cost of going through the process of a contested divorce, which often meant having to seek out legal representation for the various court appearances.
If you are considering ending your marriage and meet the requirements for an uncontested divorce under the new rules, be sure that you know exactly what your rights are. Since you and your ex will have to come up with the terms of the divorce, there is a lot of room for negotiation. Make sure that you go into the negotiation process with an understanding of the options and an idea of what you want to occur.
Source: The Chattanoogan, “Tennessee Supreme Court Adopts Forms For Uncontested Divorce For Parties With Minor Children,” Dec. 30, 2016
