How Divorce Works In Ohio
In accordance with Ohio divorce law, couples who want a dissolution of their marriage have the option of filing for either a fault or no-fault divorce. In a fault divorce, one spouse will allege some wrongdoing on the part of the other spouse in the divorce complaint, whereas in a no-fault divorce, both spouses will simply indicate that they would like to dissolve the marriage through no fault of either party.
A married couple seeking marital dissolution may also choose between a contested divorce and an uncontested divorce in Ohio. In a contested divorce, each spouse must hire a divorce attorney in order to resolve divorce issues like child support, child custody, spousal support, and the division of marital property. Sometimes this means leaving these decisions up to the court, but more often the parties are able to reach a marital settlement agreement before trial.
In an uncontested divorce, the divorcing spouses already agree on these issues at the time of filing for divorce (perhaps they even already have a formal separation agreement), so they are able to simply submit their agreement to the court for approval prior to issuing a final divorce decree. As a result, uncontested divorce is much less costly and time consuming.
The divorce process begins when one spouse files the first of the divorce forms, called the
divorce petition, with the county clerk. The other spouse will then be responsible for filing the next set of divorce documents known as the response.
If a divorcing couple is interested in online divorce Ohio law poses no obstacle. In that case, the online divorce platform will handle all of their divorce papers, from the time they decide to file for divorce and the moment that a divorce certificate is issued and their dissolution is inscribed in the divorce records.
If you’re seeking an Ohio divorce, it will be handled by the domestic relations division of your local Court of Common Pleas. In domestic relations court, there are different processes for a simple, mutual dissolution and a more traditional divorce action in which one spouse sues the other for divorce. Even if you are opting for the easier dissolution process, your own divorce case will be faster and less expensive if you and your spouse are able to reach a settlement agreement on your own.