Brookfield Divorce Attorneys

To file for divorce in Wisconsin, you need to be a resident of the state for at least 6 months and a resident of the county where the divorce will be filed for at least 30 days. You can file alone or jointly with your spouse, but if you file separately you need to serve them papers and provide the court with proof.

Consult a divorce attorney for help drafting a counterclaim, and submit within 20 days of being served papers. Gather information about your assets and finances, and ask your spouse for the same information. You and your spouse can decide whether to use mediation or settle in court during the 120 waiting period before the divorce is finalized.

Once papers have been served, you and your spouse will have an initial hearing in order to be granted temporary orders. You will then have a 120-day waiting period before the divorce is official to address your differences with a mediator or settle them in court.

During a divorce trial, you and your spouse will both make your case in front of a judge. The judge will hear each side and make final decisions about property/asset division, child placement and custody, spousal support and more.

Essentials in a divorce settlement agreement include a parenting time schedule, support specifics, life insurance, retirement accounts and home ownership if you have a house together. Other important items include college tuition, family heirlooms and division of debt.

Wisconsin child support is based on the paying parent's income. The Wisconsin guidelines are 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four, and 34% for five.

Child support should be used to pay for clothing, food, housing, transportation, utilities, medical care, school tuition, child care and any other expenses accrued while taking care of a child. If you are the paying parent, you are responsible for paying child support, even while they are in your care.

Court-ordered child support ends when your child turns 18. If your 18-year-old child still lives with a parent or attends high school, you are responsible for paying child support until they graduate from high school or turn 19 (whichever comes first).

Wisconsin divorce costs range from $1,500 to $40,000. Factors such as the type of divorce, whether the divorcing parties have minor children, and filing fees in your county can affect cost.

Divorce mediation is meant to help you and your spouse settle your differences outside court. You'll meet with a neutral mediator to negotiate the terms of your divorce settlement before presenting it to a judge.