How do I begin my Arizona divorce case?  Once my case is filed, what are the next steps in the process?  How and when will my divorce become final?

These are common questions I receive from my clients who are considering divorce or who are just getting started.  To answer these questions for a broader audience, I will be writing a series of blog posts over the coming weeks outlining Arizona divorce procedure on a step-by-step basis.

This post is intended to provide only an outline or overview of the steps required to take an Arizona divorce case from start to finish.  My subsequent posts will each focus on one step in detail, starting at the beginning and continuing until I have covered the entire process.  As a primer for this series, I would suggest reading my “Divorce 101” and “Seven Deadly Sins” articles, which can be accessed by clicking on the Articles button on my website’s home page.

This series will omit any discussion of attempted reconciliation or pre-filing planning and preparation.  Again, please see the “Seven Deadly Sins” article for a discussion of these topics.  This series will likewise not address post-divorce filings, including appeals.  Instead, this series will focus on the step-by-step process of obtaining a divorce in Arizona, beginning with filing a divorce case and ending with entry of a divorce decree by a judge.

Below is a simplified list of the procedural steps to obtain a divorce in Arizona.  As I will explain and develop in upcoming posts, a couple of the following steps may not be required in every case, but they are necessary in many cases and will therefore be included in this series.  Here are the basic steps involved in taking  an Arizona divorce case from start to finish:

1.  Filing a petition for dissolution of marriage with the court;

2.  Serving a copy of the petition on the opposing party;

3.  Finalizing the divorce in the event of a default (failure of the opposing party to appear and defend);

4.  Obtaining temporary orders;

5.  Gathering necessary information (“discovery”);

6.  Attempting to reach a settlement out of court;

7.  Obtaining a court/trial date;

8.  Preparing the case for trial;

9.  Trying the case in court; and

10.  Entry of final decree of dissolution of marriage.

If you would like to learn more about Arizona divorce case procedure, stay tuned over the next several weeks as I cover this important subject.

Copyright © 2012 by Scoresby Family Law – J. Kyle Scoresby, P.C. All rights reserved.

You can also watch my divorce overview video below.