From filing to the first court date
A New York divorce begins when papers are filed in Supreme Court and then personally served on the other spouse. If everything is agreed, the case can proceed on paper, and the judgment may be signed without either spouse appearing in a courtroom. If anything is disputed, a judge is assigned and a preliminary conference follows, where the open issues and a schedule are set. Temporary orders about support, the home, or the children can be sought at almost any point. The calendar from there depends heavily on the county and on how much is in dispute.
The long middle stretch
Most of the time in a contested case is spent exchanging financial information, valuing property, and working out parenting arrangements. Compliance conferences check that discovery is moving, and settlement discussions usually run alongside. In cases involving children, an attorney for the child may be appointed to represent their views. Keep a calendar of court dates and deadlines, store the papers you receive in one place, and answer your lawyer's document requests promptly, because a delay on one side tends to slow everything. Expect periods where little seems to happen, followed by short bursts of activity before a conference.
How the case comes to a close
Most proceedings end in a written settlement that is submitted with the final papers and incorporated into the judgment. Those that do not settle go to trial on the issues still open, which can be one item or several. Either way, the case ends when the judgment is signed and entered, and a different set of tasks begins, including transferring accounts, retitling property, and updating beneficiaries. In a first meeting we place you on this map, estimate which stages your case is likely to need, and talk about what can be done now to keep it moving. Bring any papers already filed or received, and a list of the questions that worry you most.
