No one wants to go through a divorce, and no one should have to go through a divorce without experienced legal counsel. Even seemingly straightforward and amicable divorces can quickly become complicated and heated. If you are facing the end of your marriage, our skilled spousal support attorneys can help address your divorce issues and form effective legal resolutions tailored to your needs.
At Troxell Law, our Garfield County divorce attorneys provide more than high-quality family law advocacy. We also:
Care about and communicate effectively with our clients;
Use all methods of dispute resolution from mediation to parent coordination and trial litigation; and
Diligently work to minimize the negative impacts of divorce on our clients.
Contact a divorce attorney at Troxell Law today to schedule your confidential consultation.
How a Divorce Attorney Can Help You
A Garfield County divorce lawyer can save you valuable time, money, and frustration. We will ensure your divorce is handled correctly without omissions or mistakes.
Troxell Law will also do the following on your behalf:
Eliminate the need to negotiate directly with your spouse;
Identify and value marital assets;
Promptly file all court documents;
Assess the need for spousal support;
Calculate child support;
Prepare a proposed allocation of parental responsibilities; and
Prepare a qualified domestic relations order for the division of any retirement accounts.
Do not wait to speak with a Garfield County divorce attorney. Have your questions answered by a Troxell Law divorce professional.
Colorado is a No-Fault Divorce State
Colorado does not require divorcing spouses to state a reason, or grounds, for seeking a divorce. Instead, a spouse needs only state that their marriage is “irretrievably broken” in the initial divorce petition. This allows the court to make rulings without blaming either spouse for the breakup of the marriage.
Residency Requirements and Waiting Period for a Colorado Divorce
To file for a divorce in Colorado, one spouse must be a resident of Colorado for at least ninety days. Colorado has a ninety-day waiting period after the service of the divorce petition before the court will finalize any divorce.
Decrees Upon Affidavit
An uncontested divorce or Decrees Upon Affidavit is the quickest and least expensive way to divorce in Colorado. However, this requires both spouses to agree on how to resolve their major divorce issues. Spouses must still wait ninety days for a final decree in an uncontested divorce.
Asset Division in Colorado
Colorado divides marital property equitably. Equitable division is not the same as equal division. Instead, assets are separated in as fair a manner as possible.
The court weighs fairness by the following:
Each spouse’s contributions to the marital property;
The value of the property set aside for each spouse;
Each spouse’s financial circumstances at the time of property division;
Gains or losses in the value of each spouse’s separate property during the marriage; and
Contributions of each spouses’ separate property to support the marriage.
Colorado considers any property acquired during the marriage as marital property. Separate property is property named as such in a pre or post-marital contract, property gifted to or inherited by a spouse alone, and property brought into a marriage by a spouse.
Spousal Maintenance in Colorado
Colorado has two types of spousal maintenance. These are statutory maintenance and contractual and non-modifiable maintenance.
A judge awards statutory maintenance at the time of a final divorce decree or legal separation. Contractual and non-modifiable maintenance is spousal support agreed to by the spouses and included in the final divorce decree.
A judge may order temporary spousal maintenance during a pending divorce. Temporary maintenance ends when a divorce is finalized.
There are legal guidelines to help judges determine alimony or spousal maintenance awards. However, judges may deviate from these guidelines when they deem appropriate.
Contact an Experienced Garfield County Divorce Lawyer
The above is only a brief overview of divorce in Colorado. Every divorce case is unique and needs scrutiny and attention before any divorce laws are applied. Contact Troxell Law to set up a full review of your divorce matter so one of our experienced attorneys can offer you case-specific guidance and advice regarding your best way forward.
Additional laws and regulations apply in Colorado if you have children with your spouse. A Garfield County divorce attorney can provide you with child custody, visitation, and support information.
