Westport Divorce Attorney

Divorce Firm Serving Fairfield, Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Stamford, Weston, Wilton and Norwalk Counties

Divorce is often a time of indecision, uncertainty, stress, and confusion. The process calls for making critical decisions about some of the most important areas of your life, including your children, finances, family home, investments, pets and more. Often, the negotiations needed to arrive at these decisions occur while emotions run high. Furthermore, you may have little understanding of Connecticut divorce and family laws and how they will impact your particular situation.

Why Hire Our Westport Divorce Lawyers

The importance of having a trusted legal advisor throughout this process cannot be overstated, especially when child custody, high net worth, or complex property issues are involved. However, everyone going through a divorce should have the information needed to make sound decisions that could have consequences well into the future.

Rutkin, Oldham & Griffin has been a stable and leading legal resource in the practice of divorce and family law for clients throughout Connecticut since 1982. Our attorneys are well known for strategic thinking, extensive experience, and a dedicated team approach.

Thinking about divorce or facing current difficult divorce issues? Contact Rutkin, Oldham & Griffin online or by calling (203) 428-4476 to book a consultation.

Divorce in Connecticut

A divorce in Connecticut is commenced when whoever is seeking the divorce (called the plaintiff) files the “complaint” with the court. This document requests that the marriage be dissolved and provides a few details to the court, such as the grounds for the divorce, whether children are involved, and more.

Residency requirements for a Connecticut divorce are that at least one spouse has lived in the state for the previous 12 months or will have lived in the state for the 12 months preceding the entry of a judgment of divorce.

Does It Matter Who Files for Divorce First in Connecticut?

No, it does not matter who files for divorce in Connecticut, but the spouse who eventually files must pay the court filing fee and the marshal fee for service of the divorce paperwork on your spouse.

Uncontested Divorce

An uncontested divorce requires that you and your spouse reach an agreement on all of the many factors related to the dissolution of your marriage. Therefore, it is highly advisable that you understand these issues in terms of how Connecticut divorce law relates to your situation and how courts view them. This is why it is vital to seek the counsel of an experienced and trusted divorce lawyer who has practiced in your area.

These factors include:

• Child custody and visitation/parenting plans
• Child support
• Equitable division and distribution of property and debt
• Alimony/spousal support

When you and your spouse can forge an agreement on your own concerning the issues pertinent to your case, that agreement can then be submitted to the court for approval. When you cannot, the court will decide. A judge will review all aspects of your financial situation, parenting ability, children's needs, what each spouse has contributed to the marriage, and more in deciding on the above issues.

No-Fault vs Fault-Based Divorce

Connecticut provides no-fault as well as fault-based grounds for divorce. Nearly all cases are resolved as no fault cases. Occasionally, though, the facts of a case warrant asking the court to consider fault grounds for divorce. These grounds include adultery, willful desertion, fraud, alcoholism, extreme cruelty, conviction/incarceration for certain crimes, and mental illness leading to being held in a mental hospital.

Even when the grounds for obtaining a divorce are not at issue, the "cause of the breakdown" of the marriage is one of many factors the court must consider in resolving any disputes which the parties cannot resolve themselves. This is why you will hear people discuss the other spouse’s misdeeds and “faults”.

Proven & Trusted Divorce Representation

At our firm, we offer creative strategies and think long-term to put you in the best position possible. Our attorneys are experienced in representing clients in litigation, mediation and arbitration. The firm is technologically proficient. Since the pandemic began, we have conducted one remote custody trial which lasted more than 10 weeks, as well as many, shorter, remote hearings, depositions and conferences.

Set up your case evaluation by contacting us online or at (203) 428-4476 today.