No matter how strong and resilient you are, dealing with your divorce won’t be easy. There are many things to consider, and the legal process can take a toll on your well-being. While not mandatory, you may want to understand things better from an expert, and talking to a Boston Divorce lawyer is a good idea. Below is a quick overview of Massachusetts laws for divorces.
Residency requirements
If your marriage happened outside of Massachusetts, you have to fulfill residency requirements. You can only file for a divorce in the state if you have lived here for at least a year prior to filing for the divorce. If you were living in Massachusetts as a couple and your spouse left or moved out in between, you can still file for divorce here.
Grounds
For the unversed, grounds refer to the legally acceptable reasons to get a divorce. If you and your spouse don’t want to blame one another for the breakdown of the marriage, you can get a no-fault divorce. In other words, you can get a divorce in Boston just by stating that your marriage cannot be saved. There are also fault-based grounds for divorce in Massachusetts, where one spouse blames the other for the end of the marriage. Such grounds include impotency, adultery, abandonment for a year, intoxication in a habitual manner, and abusive behavior.
Steps in the divorce
- The first step is to consider whether you meet the residency requirements as stated above. Talk to a family lawyer if you don’t understand the essential aspects.
- The next step is to define the grounds for your divorce. In a no-fault divorce, you need to state that your marriage has ended and cannot be revived.
- The third step is to file the divorce petition, which will be sent to your spouse. Your attorney can help you with the process and ensure that you don’t end up with paperwork mistakes.
- If your spouse agrees to the divorce, you can expect the signed papers and get a no-fault divorce. If they don’t, you will have a contested divorce.
- Depending on the circumstances, you may either go to mediation to resolve conflicts or can choose to litigate the matter.
Get an attorney involved to know more about Massachusetts divorces. You may also come to an agreement with your spouse outside the court through your lawyer’s negotiation skills and save both the time and money that would be spent in a contested divorce.
