Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Concord, NC

TWO KEY POINTS ABOUT DIVORCE IN NORTH CAROLINA When starting the divorce process in North Carolina, you may have a lot of questions. The process can be confusing because of all the legal aspects. It may not help that you are also probably going through a lot of emotions and would rather be doing anything else other than dealing with the divorce process. With that in mind, here are two key points you should know about getting a divorce in North Carolina. 1. You must first have a legal separation - To file for divorce, the law requires you be separated from your spouse for a minimum of one year. Separation is when you live in separate homes with the intention of this being a permanent situation. While it is often a good idea to have this separation formalized in a legal document, it is not absolutely necessary. 2. You can handle important issues prior to filing for divorce - While you cannot file for divorce until you have been separated for a year, you can file to determine child custody, divide property, and alimony any time after you have physically separated. It is usually advisable to handle these issues quickly after separation. It should also be noted that you must file for property division and/or alimony prior to a judge signing a divorce judgment or you lose the right to file under North Carolina law. These claims do not have to be resolved prior to the divorce judgment being signed, but they must be filed in order to be preserved.