1
When you contact our office, we will email you an intake form to complete. This allows us to get the information we need to run a conflict check to make sure that the attorney is able to represent you. It also provides the attorney with some of the basic information about your case that will be instrumental in drafting your pleadings.
2
After the intake form is returned, a free phone consultation will be scheduled with the attorney. During the consultation, the attorney will ask about the parenting plan that you would like ordered, whether spousal maintenance is needed, and who should be granted temporary possession of the marital home. The attorney will not be able to calculate child support or give you legal advice during the consultation.
3
After you have hired the attorney, she will be able to provide you with legal advice and review paystubs or W-2’s to calculate support. She will then draft the initial pleadings and provide them to you for review and signature.
4
The initial pleadings will be filed with the court. It typically takes 3-7 days for the judge to sign the temporary orders, which establish temporary support, a parenting plan, responsibility for debt, and possession of property.
5
After the judge has signed the orders, the other party will need to be served with the divorce pleadings. This can be done amicably, with the other party simply signing a document acknowledging receipt of the documents and waiving service. This can also be done through a process server delivering the pleadings to the other party. The attorney will communicate with you regarding the best time and location for service, so that you are aware of when this will occur and can make arrangements for yourself or your children not to be present.
6
There is a sixty-day waiting period to finalize a divorce in Kansas. During this time period, the other party may file a motion to modify the temporary orders or you may participate in Alternative Dispute Resolution to negotiate an agreement. Alternative Dispute Resolution is typically only ordered regarding parenting plans.
7
At the expiration of the sixty-day waiting period, if an agreement has been reached, the final paperwork can be filed to grant the divorce. The paperwork is filed electronically and, in uncontested cases, the parties never have to go to court.
8
(Less Common). If no agreement can be reached, the court will schedule a trial for a judge to make decisions regarding the disputed issues. The trial process takes much longer than the sixty-day waiting period.