OK so you’ve got your documents all prepared, filed and served on the other side – now what? Well, the other side may file a Response. In that case you now have a contested action. Where do you go from there? How do you get through the family court system?
The first step is to wait the required time to see if the other side will respond at all. Depending on the type of case you have, the response times are different. Let’s use the standard divorce scenario for this example though. Once the other side is served, they have 20 days to file their response with the Court if they were served in the State of Arizona. If they were served outside the State of Arizona, they have 30 days to file a response with the Court. Depending on whether or not they file a response will determine your next step.
If they do not file a response with the court, you can then prepare and file default paperwork to let the court know that the other side has not responded and you want your case to move toward a conclusion. We can help you with that too!! Many times, you will be able to get what you are asking for if the other side fails to respond.
If they do file a proper Response with the court, you then have a contested action. There are 2 ways to resolve a contested action: (1) by ultimate agreement of the parties (usually after some negotiations) or (2) by a judge deciding after a trial.
If you find yourself facing a trial, we can get you the help you need to organize, prepare and present your case to the court. We can also refer you to an attorney who can handle court for you. If you wind up with agreements, we can certainly document them the way the court wants to see them presented at a fraction of the cost of retaining an attorney. We are here to help you!