The first thing I m going to tell you about the time that divorce takes won t surprise you at all, because it sounds just like a lawyer. It depends on how much you and your spouse are able to cooperate to resolve the issues between you. That doesn t mean you and your spouse need to agree on all the issues. The way to save time and money, by the way is to be willing to talk to each other, to be willing to listen to what your spouse is trying to accomplish, and to be willing to be receptive to several different options to accomplishing your own goals.
Uncontested divorce is almost always the quickest way to divorce.
If you gather all the key information for your divorce before you visit with a lawyer, the lawyer can produce the necessary paperwork quickly, get your spouse in to sign with you after both of you have reviewed it, and your divorce can usually be effective shortly after that. If you mediate your divorce, the time varies depending on how complex your affairs are and how easily you and your spouse are able to reach agreement. My shortest mediations have taken 45 minutes, but that s rare. My longest mediation took 15 hours, but that s even more rare. That s not a guarantee, of course, because how you reach agreement, and even whether you reach agreement, are up to the two of you.