Uncontested divorce
You and your spouse agree on all the terms of your divorce: property, childcare, assets and more. This is a much more straightforward process. Uncontested divorces often bypass court all together. Your settlement and final divorce will need to be approved by a judge, but that’s usually a relatively quick process. Once the judge approves it, all you have to do is wait until the state-mandated time period has passed and your divorce will be final.
Though it’s never easy, an uncontested divorce is simpler, saving you considerable time, money and aggravation.
Contested divorce
You and your spouse don’t agree on major issues. This is what people traditionally think of when they think of a divorce—a couple on opposite sides of a court case with a judge deciding who gets what and how. Even in a contested divorce, you can try to settle through mediation, but it tends to be more complicated.