Although the divorce rate has declined substantially in most parts of the country, there are cities around the state of Texas that have much higher rates than average. For example, the city of Bonham has a married population of 39.3 percent, which is much higher to the divorced population of the entire state.
Every situation is different, and some cities may be able to process divorces faster than others. There are some factors to keep in mind to get a better understanding of how long your particular divorce process will last.
Go through the 60-day waiting period
Before you can go to court, the state requires the divorcing couple to go through a mandatory waiting period. There are some circumstances where a judge will waive this period, but in general, the state requires it to give the couple more time to consider whether this is something they want to pursue in earnest.
Make agreements during this period
During this waiting period, the couple may know for a fact they want to go through a divorce. They can expedite the process substantially if they go through mediation. This is different from marriage counseling. Through mediation, the couple agrees to certain terms before ending up in court. This can drastically decrease the length of the divorce process if the couple can come to the judge with agreed upon terms.
Consider factors that often increase the length
There are various factors that tend to increase the length of a divorce. For example, when a couple has children, they are more likely to argue about custody and child support. Additionally, owning a business can complicate the process if one spouse wants to protect those assets from the other spouse. When the couple owns a significant amount of property, the process takes longer to decide upon everything. The total process can take anywhere from a couple months to over a year, depending on how amicable the couple can remain.
