Can you get a divorce in Tennessee without a lawyer?

Can you get a divorce in Tennessee without a lawyer?

Fortunately, as long as you and your spouse agree on the need to divorce and meet the requirements for an agreed divorce or an uncontested divorce, Tennessee makes the divorce process straightforward. You may even qualify to do the divorce yourself without a lawyer.

What happens when one spouse doesn’t want a divorce?

If you properly served the divorce petition and your spouse filed an uncontested response, but won’t sign off on the final divorce papers, courts in some states may allow the case to proceed as though it’s uncontested. You may wait to be assigned a court appearance date.

On what grounds can you contest a divorce?

There are only very limited grounds for opposing a divorce. It is not enough that you do not want a divorce or you want to get back together. As the only ground for divorce is the irretrievable breakdown of marriage, the only way to stop the divorce is to show that this has not occurred.

Is it worth defending a divorce?

In almost all divorces, there is no benefit in pursuing a defended divorce. If you receive a behaviour petition and you do not accept the allegations, it may be possible to amend the petition in such a way that is acceptable to both parties. All the Court would see is the petition proceeding on an undefended basis.

What happens if spouse contests divorce?

You may have to move forward with a contested divorce, though. A court hearing will be set, and your spouse will be served with the court date. If they attend and openly contest the divorce or a particular issue, then each side must present testimony and evidence regarding their preferred outcome.