Start a New Chapter in Your Life

Ending your marriage doesn't have to mean weeks in court or ruined relationships. There's a more amicable way to separate from your spouse. If you want to file a petition for a dissolution of marriage, turn to Dougherty, Hanneman & Piccin, LLC in Columbus, OH. Your dissolution attorney will help you and your spouse reach fair agreements about the matters that are most important to you both.

Our family law firm has helped countless clients in Columbus, OH dissolve their marriages civilly. Call 614-932-5000 now to schedule an appointment with a dissolution attorney.

To obtain a dissolution in Ohio, one spouse must have resided in Ohio for at least six months before the dissolution was filed. Generally, a dissolution is filed in the county where one or both of the spouses reside.

No legal grounds are needed to obtain a dissolution. If the parties have reached an agreement on all relevant issues, and if the proper procedural steps have been followed, a dissolution will be granted.

After the parties have reached an agreement, the agreement must be put in writing. Thus, various legal documents must be prepared.

A separation agreement is used to address the parties' rights and duties regarding property and debt issues, complex asset issues, and spousal support issues.

If only one parent will be given custody of a child, this matter is also addressed in the separation agreement. However, if both parents will be given custody of a child, this matter is addressed in a shared parenting plan.

A dissolution petition must also be prepared. The petition states that the parties have reached an agreement and that the parties desire for the court to terminate their marriage.

Each party must also complete and sign a financial disclosure affidavit. In the affidavit, each party must state his or her assets, liabilities, income, and other financial information.

Depending on the issues in the case, and the local rules of court, it may also be necessary to prepare other documents.

After all of the documents have been prepared, the documents are filed at the appropriate clerk of court's office. After the documents are filed, a case is opened, the case is given a case number, and a judge is assigned to the case.

After the case is opened, the case is scheduled for a final hearing. The final hearing cannot occur sooner than 31 days after the case is filed. Also, the final hearing cannot occur later than 90 days after the case is filed.

Both parties must appear at the final hearing. At the hearing, both parties must testify that they are in agreement on all issues and that they desire for the marriage to be terminated.

If the documents have been properly prepared, and if both parties give the proper testimony, the dissolution will be granted. This means that the parties' marriage will be terminated and the parties' agreement will be adopted as the order of the court.

Generally, the final hearing occurs at a public courthouse in a public courtroom. However, we offer our clients another option. Our clients can schedule a private final hearing at our offices.

A private judge will conduct the hearing. By using a private judge, the hearing can occur at the earliest possible time. Also, the hearing can be scheduled on a date and at a time that is convenient for both of the parties.

In some situations, it is not appropriate to end a marriage by way of a dissolution. For example, a dissolution cannot or should not be used in any of the following circumstances.

• The parties cannot reach an agreement on all issues
• One or both parties needs an immediate order from the court
• One or both parties need to obtain additional information or documents
• One of the parties cannot attend the final hearing

The DHP law firm attorneys have produced successful outcomes for many family law clients. Please click here to read about success stories that reflect various family law issues. Perhaps you will see your marital issues reflected in one or more of these brief stories.