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Divorce
Divorce is more than just deciding to split up a marriage; it's a legal journey that requires careful consideration. Let our team guide you through the process.
Tennessee Divorce Attorneys You Can Trust
Divorce is a life-altering experience for anyone. There is no easy button for this event in a person’s life, but one of the most important things you can do is hire an experienced attorney who will guide you through the maze of legal issues facing you.
The decisions you make during this time of crisis will be your foundation stones for moving on after the divorce and rebuilding your life. You need to make sure your foundation is grounded in smart and assertive representation by an attorney skilled in family law in Tennessee.
We Are The Team You Need
I and my family law partner Alex Hurst, along with our experienced support team of paralegals, will fight to ensure your rights and income are protected, you reach a settlement that is in your best interest, and help you ease your way to a happy and satisfying life beyond your divorce.
Maintaining peace is always a desirable result in a divorce case, especially when there are children involved. Effective co-parenting post-divorce can be strained by protracted litigation. We are experienced in handling uncontested divorces, where both parties use the same attorney, which keeps the process shorter and can be much less expensive than a contested divorce.
At Vance Law Office, PLLC, our goal is to support you every step of the way, providing clarity, compassion, and legal expertise as you embark on this transformative journey toward a fresh start.
Contested Divorces
Sometimes an Uncontested or Mediated Divorce isn’t possible and the case has to be decided in court and I have never been afraid to take a case to court. My reputation of fighting for my client’s rights while defending their property and income and parental rights, if needed, is well respected and widely known across Middle Tennessee. In fact, I have been professionally proud to be called a “pit bull” by many satisfied clients. The exes of several clients have referred family and friends to me after they and their attorney faced me in court.
We Can Help You Protect Your Family Assets
Don’t face your divorce alone. In addition to holding your family and friends close during this trying time, make sure you have the best representation available to you. With extensive experience in alimony, child support, division of marital property and assets, or debt and asset division, I and my staff will be the key to your successful team. Call our office to set up your appointment for a consultation about your case.
What We Do as Your Divorce Attorneys
- Initial consultation to understand your unique situation and needs.
- Provide straightforward legal advice on Tennessee divorce laws, including grounds for divorce and residency requirements.
- Help you gather all the necessary paperwork and documentation for the divorce process.
- Prepare and file the divorce petition in court.
- Advocate for you in any marital asset division decisions.
- Help you negotiate child custody, support, and visitation decisions.
- Figure out the need for and advocate for or against spousal support (alimony) based on the client's circumstances.
- Represent you in any negotiations, mediations, or court proceedings that may take place during your divorce.
- Act as an advocate for your legal rights.
- Work with you on post-divorce issues, like changing child custody or support orders, enforcing court orders, and more.
Ask An Attorney About Divorce:
What are the grounds for divorce in Tennessee?
Tennessee offers no-fault divorce for irreconcilable differences, or after a 2 year separation where there are no minor children.
Fault divorces can take place for things like adultery, cruelty or violence, impotency, addiction, criminal conviction, bigamy, and more.
How long does the divorce process take?
This depends on your unique situation. Some divorces can take a long time if couples struggle to agree, but we will fight for you in the process to make sure it is both fair, and as quick as possible.
For divorces that are easily settled in terms of assets and custody arrangements, Tennessee requires a 60 day waiting period for couples with no unmarried minor children, and 90 days for couples with one or more unmarried minor children.
What are the steps involved in the divorce process?
If you and your spouse are able to agree on the terms of your divorce we can help you prepare a divorce settlement agreement that you’ll both sign. This can then be filed, and after the waiting period, the court will consider the divorce uncontested and complete.
If you can’t agree on the terms of the divorce, we help you through the process of a contested divorce. Acting as your attorneys, we will complete a divorce complaint and file the appropriate forms. Your spouse will be served with the summons, and have 30 days to respond. If you have been served, we will assist in your response.
The discovery process will then begin, and we will find out all we can for you to make sure you get what you deserve in the divorce process. If you have minor children, you may need to take a parenting class. Finally, you’ll decide to settle, or go to court. If you and your spouse can settle out of court, we will help you with all the necessary paperwork.
If court is the only option, we will represent you as the judge hears you out in court. The judge will settle the divorce in the most fair terms possible depending on the facts of the matter. You or your spouse will have 30 days to appeal after the judge issues a ruling, if you find that you don’t like the decision.
What should I do if my spouse is making the divorce process difficult?
Legal representation is your best bet, as we can work with the courts to assist you in compelling your spouse to respond to your divorce complaint, to provide you with information you need in a settlement, and to lay out for you the options you have in the process. Even uncontested divorces are difficult, and Vance Law is here for you to support and stand by you through the entire process, however it plays out.
What about finances, how can I protect myself?
If you and your spouse can agree on division of assets, you’ll get exactly what your divorce settlement states. If not, the judge in your divorce trial will work with you and your spouse to determine what equitable distribution means for your marriage.
If possible, document all assets you have, and try to have all passwords and accounts at your fingertips. Knowing what you have can make a great deal of difference in getting what you deserve.
What about my children?
We offer specific legal guidance on child support, child visitation, and custody law, and can help you make sure your children are cared for in the most stable, loving way possible throughout your divorce.
Related Services
Legal separation
There can be legal implications to living separately but staying married, and we are here to guide you through the process to make sure you understand what your rights are.
Parenting & Custody
The who, what, when, where, and why of legal parenting and custody agreements are a tricky business, and we stick up for our clients, making sure your voice is heard and your rights are defended.