Appleton Divorce Attorneys

File a written Response and Counterclaim with your local court. Send a copy to your spouse and their attorney with 20 days of being served. If you don’t respond before the deadline, your spouse will be able to make requests without your input about child support and custody, alimony, and property division. If you haven't already, you should also seek a family law attorney to protect your rights.

You can file for a divorce in Wisconsin after living in the state for 6 months and the county where you want to file for 30 days. You can file jointly or separately. If you file separately, you’ll have to serve your spouse with divorce papers no more than 90 days after filing. Go to the Wisconsin Court System to learn more about the filing process.

One or both parties will file a petition for divorce (the non-filing spouse will be served papers). A temporary order hearing will be held if requested. Next, a settlement will be negotiated and then reviewed at a divorce trial. Lastly, a judge will make a final decree to determine how the divorced couple will handle important issues. Retaining a divorce lawyer as soon as the divorce process begins can help you avoid undesirable outcomes later.

A marital settlement agreement, or divorce settlement agreement, is a document explaining how a divorced couple will handle child custody and support, asset and debt division, and spousal support payments. Marital settlement agreements are drafted and negotiated during the 120 day waiting period between divorce initiation and finalization. Divorce mediation can help create a marriage settlement agreement without court intervention.

As of 2021, the average cost of a divorce in Wisconsin is $9,900. However, the cost can be thousands of dollars more or less depending on if the divorce is contested, if you have children, and how much property you need to divide.

A contested divorce happens when you and your spouse can’t agree on the terms of the divorce and need a judge to help make those decisions for you. If you need to go to court for any reason, the divorce will be considered contested and will cost you more money and time.

Divorce mediation uses a neutral third-party to help a couple settle their differences and come to an agreement that works for both of them. It is often cheaper than a traditional divorce because of the lack of litigation.

Divorce mediation can cost between $3,000 and $8,000, but costs vary depending on the mediator's qualifications, how many sessions you and your spouse need, and how many issues you have to work through before coming to an agreement. Divergent's mediators charge a flat fee, while others charge by session or hour.

Wisconsin uses percentage income guidelines to determine how much you’ll pay in child support (one child: 17%, 2 children: 25%, 3 children: 29%, 4 children: 31%, etc.) Other factors that influence payment amounts include the percentage of your placement with your child, your average income, if you support more than one family, etc.

Child support ends when the child turns 18. If the child is still enrolled in high school or pursuing a GED, then you may have to support them until they are 19.