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If you want a divorce in Anniston or the surrounding areas of Calhoun County, Alabama then the first thing is to decide whether it will be contested or uncontested. If you and your spouse are in agreement about everything, then our Anniston divorce lawyers & attorneys may be able to help you get a quick and easy uncontested divorce in Calhoun County. An uncontested divorce is where all issues have been resolved such as custody and property distribution by agreement and there are no contested issues for a judge to decide. The two of you just sign a settlement agreement and get it to us to file with the Court. As long as the judge approves the agreement then there are no hearings and you get the divorce decree without ever having to step into the courthouse.

An uncontested divorce is the simplest and most inexpensive way to get divorced in Alabama. If you are seeking a cheap divorce lawyer in Anniston, Oxford, Jacksonville, or anywhere in Calhoun County then call us today.

• We are currently charging $290 for uncontested divorces without minor children.
• We are currently charging $390 for uncontested divorces with minor children.

This does not include the filing fee that each county requires to file your case. If you live in Anniston or Oxford then you will likely be filing divorce in the Calhoun County Circuit Court. The filing fee in Calhoun County is about $258. Most counties have their own unique local requirements in order to obtain a no fault divorce, such as having certain language included in your Settlement Agreement or other documents.  In certain divorce cases, additional documents can be required depending on the terms that have been reached in your agreement.  That is why it is important to retain a local divorce lawyer to file your uncontested divorce, to ensure that all local requirements are met and that you obtain your divorce decree as quickly and easily as possible.

There are a few procedural requirements that are unique to Calhoun County Courts, but our Anniston divorce lawyers regularly file cases in this jurisdiction and are familiar with these local rules.  In Calhoun County, you are required to take a parenting course and receive a certificate of completion in order to obtain your divorce decree.  This is not a requirement in every county in Alabama, with there being no such requirement in Talladega County.  Call our local divorce lawyer today to find out the filing fee in your county.

Going through a divorce can be extremely difficult emotionally with both parties having to undergo life changing transitions.  Often, both spouses do not want to have to intensify this already difficult process by fighting or arguing over their marital issues.   In order to simplify the process, both parties will usually attempt to reach an agreement concerning all these issues before retaining a divorce lawyer in Anniston, in order to potentially file a cheaper uncontested divorce and lower the attorney fees involved. If you are seeking a cheap divorce in Anniston then call our office today for more information.

An uncontested divorce is the quickest and easiest way to get a divorce in Alabama.  However, it requires that you have already talked with each other and that both of you have reached an agreement.  This means that you have already agreed on such things as how much child support is to be paid, physical and legal custody, visitation, property division, and all other marital issues.  If you have not reached an agreement, then you cannot file a no fault or uncontested divorce. In this case you will have to file a contested divorce and either settle prior to trial or litigate the issues to the Court.

If you are not in agreement then you will have to file a contested divorce. Contested divorces are much more expensive. We require something called a retainer up front, which can range from $1500 to $3000 or more depending on your particular situation. Call us today to get a quote over the phone. 

 Family Law and Divorce Lawyers in Anniston

If the two of you can reach an agreement, then you can file an uncontested divorce with us. It is called an uncontested divorce because there are no contested issues in the case. The judge does not have to decide any unresolved issues since you have already reached an agreement by yourselves. Any other way that you file for divorce is usually considered a contested divorce since at the time the divorce is filed there are still contested issues to be resolved.

If an uncontested divorce is not possible, then you may need to file a contested divorce. Since there is no agreement in a contested case, the matter will begin with the filing of a Complaint for divorce. In the Complaint you will usually be asking the court to award you whatever it is that you want from the marriage and it will have to be delivered or served on the other spouse in accordance with the laws of the State of Alabama. Once your spouse is served this document, they have thirty days to respond by filing a document called an Answer. In this Answer, the spouse will usually be denying the claims in the Complaint and responding with a request for whatever it is that they want from the marriage.

At this point, both sides either negotiate and reach an agreement or there will be a trial for the judge to determine these contested issues for the parties. If you do not have any significant property in the marriage and all issues related to the children have been agreed upon already, then you may be able to avoid such complexities by filing for an uncontested divorce. Give our Anniston divorce lawyer a call today for a consultation.

If you live in Anniston or Oxford then your divorce (whether contested or uncontested) will most likely be filed in the Circuit Court of Calhoun County.  Our Anniston divorce lawyers regularly handle matters in the Calhoun County Courts and the surrounding areas of Gadsden, Talladega, Sylacauga, Jacksonville, Oxford, Lincoln, Rainbow City, Heflin, and Pell City.  We file divorces in most counties across the State of Alabama, including in Calhoun County, Etowah County, St. Clair County, Blount County, Coosa County, Tallapoosa County, Cleburne County, and the Talladega County.

 Contested Divorces in Anniston

Any way you file for divorce with no agreement already reached is called a contested divorce. This is where you file a divorce without any agreement being reached and have your spouse served with the Complaint. Once they are officially served, the spouse usually obtains an attorney and files a response. There are hearings set and the judge will ultimately decide your disagreements if the two of you cannot come to an agreement.

We can help you if you need to file a contested divorce. However, the attorney fees are significantly higher than an uncontested divorce. Like most divorce lawyers, we require a retainer for such services and our attorney will bill hourly from it depending on the amount of work performed. So depending on how long it takes to resolve your marital issues in the divorce, the attorney fees could get expensive.

Typically retainers for contested divorces range from $1500 to $3000 or more, depending on how complex the issues involved are and how contested they will probably get. If there are minor children of the marriage, then the retainers are more than divorces without children, but there are other factors we consider in quoting you a retainer.

You can call our office today to find out how much of a retainer we would require up front to begin working on your case. You will usually need to have a quick phone consultation with our attorney before we can quote you a fee, especially if there are minor children or other potentially complex issues involved. This is the reason an uncontested divorce is almost always cheaper and easier than a contested one.

Our Anniston and Calhoun County Office

The City of Anniston is the seat of Calhoun County with the courthouse being located downtown at 25 West 11th Street.  Our Anniston office is only a few blocks from the courthouse, located on Noble Street in the historic Lyric Square building.  In the case of a cheap uncontested divorce, you do not usually have to come into the office and meet in person. This is because such cases are fairly simple, and an over the phone discussion or two can usually answer any questions or concerns that you may have. If you have questions about an uncontested or contested family law matter, then give our Anniston divorce attorneys a call for a consultation.

Our Anniston divorce lawyer regularly handles divorce cases in the Talladega, Oxford, Sylacauga, and Pell City areas.  The Harris Firm is a proud member of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce and the North and Central Alabama Better Business Bureau.  Feel free to take a look at our profiles with these local organizations for reviews from former clients.  If you are seeking a divorce in Eastern Alabama, then give our Anniston divorce lawyers a call today.