How to Stop the Divorce Process

Roughly 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sometimes during the divorce proceedings, couples may feel as though they are making a mistake and would rather reconcile. Stopping the divorce proceedings is hardly complicated, but it requires considerable time, communication and phone calls to your divorce lawyer. Consider carefully the decision that you're making, and talk to your spouse to make sure you're on the same page. As long as your divorce hasn't been finalized, you can stop the divorce and work on fixing your marriage.

Step 1

Contact your respective divorce lawyers, and let them know to halt proceedings while you try to reconcile with your spouse. Make sure that no paperwork is filed on your behalf that would continue the divorce process, and that your lawyers know that you plan on entering the mediation process so that they divorce is stopped.

Step 2

Communicate with your spouse about the changes that must be made to make your relationship work. Brainstorm solutions to the issues that led you to initiate divorce proceedings, and negotiate your way to solutions that everyone can live with, including admissions of infidelity and trust, parenting issues and communication skills.

Step 3

Enter mediation and reconciliation with your spouse, advises LegalMatch.com. Although it may not be the most romantic approach to getting back together, this process can help you sort out your differences and form a plan to stay together that you're both satisfied with. Mediation can be handled via your lawyers or a marriage therapist. When you've both agreed to the terms, sign a contract that states that violation of these terms will result in the resuming of divorce proceedings. This process spells out your conditions for reconciliation and helps you move past some of the problems that led to potential divorce.

Step 4

Contact the county clerk, and withdraw your petition for divorce. The only person who can formally withdraw the petition is the person who filed, notes Brette Sember, family and matrimonial attorney and mediator.

Tips

• Divorce proceedings cannot be stopped if both spouses are not in agreement. You can contact the court for a postponement of proceedings if you need more time to talk things out, but it will eventually conclude with a judgment otherwise.

Source of shared Link

---