Non-Contested/Uncontested/Contested Divorce
A large percentage of divorces in Missouri are often uncontested. The parties agree on all of the property distributions, allocation of debts, and child custody & support arrangements (when applicable). The remaining hurdle, then, is navigating the court system to obtain the actual divorce decree.
Although Missouri does have very “user-friendly” help yourself documents online to help the pro se (one without an attorney) party, it is usually a good idea to have an attorney to help you explain the consequences of the documentation and your rights and responsibilities which arise out of same. One of the more common questions we receive is whether we can represent both spouses in the litigation solely for the purpose of traversing all of the procedural hurdles. Unfortunately, this simply cannot be done because the professional responsibility rules forbid the same attorney from representing both parties in an adversarial litigation. What often happens, then, is that we may represent the one spouse (usually the one who contacts us), but the other spouse must go pro se or obtain an attorney. Our legal and ethical obligations only apply to the spouse we represent.
Contact us with questions pertaining to uncontested/non-contested divorce, contested divorce, child custody, or child support.