Discovery Can Take a While

Discovery is often a lengthy process that can seem to drag on…and perhaps be a stressful or anxious time—but it doesn’t have to be. If both parties are upfront and cooperate fully, the discovery process could be sped up. You will be asked to provide detailed and accurate information about your financial status, current and projected needs of your household (which includes all individuals currently being supported by you and/or your spouse), and the household budget among other things.

A “Case Information Statement” must be provided by both parties, and include all information about debts and assets; information like retirement funds, pension values, bank accounts, and tax returns must, of course, be provided and reviewed by each spouse’s attorney, but real estate values and vocational earning estimates may also be asked for. Everything should be taken into account during this stage in the divorce proceedings. Making sure both parties leave the marriage taken care of and able to care for themselves and their dependents are crucial.

Both parties want to be able to negotiate the divorce fairly, and if all information is provided from the start, that shouldn’t be an issue. Divorce may take a while—longer than you would prefer, anyway—but it is important to make sure you have all information necessary to make good and informed decisions about your family’s future with your New Jersey divorce lawyer

Common Grounds for Divorce

Every person is different, which would mean every marriage is different—as well as every divorce; New Jersey divorce law was written with that in mind.  There are ten possible grounds someone can use to file for divorce, the most common grounds being separation, extreme cruelty, and the often used irreconcilable differences.

When declaring your grounds for divorce in New Jersey, it’s important to make sure your claims can be substantiated. For example, using “separation” as your grounds is only possible if the couple has been apart for 18 months or more; proof of the physical separation would obviously have to be given.

Reasons for divorce vary, and the definition of the legal grounds can be interpreted differently and applied to fit each individual divorce situation. “Extreme cruelty,” for example, is one of the grounds commonly used by plaintiffs when filing, or by defendants who are responding. The ground of extreme cruelty can  mean daily verbal/physical abuse, or a lack of emotional support.

“Irreconcilable differences” is used as grounds in New Jersey divorce proceedings when the couple does not want to file with any blame pointed at the other spouse. There are situations when the marriage is simply over despite best efforts being made by both spouses.