Uncontested
You and your spouse agree on the terms, and the work is documenting that agreement properly so it holds up later.
- Faster and substantially cheaper
- Far less strain on everyone, children included
- Still needs the agreement drafted carefully
Divorce
Ending a marriage is hard enough without fighting the paperwork too.
Contested or uncontested, the process is the same set of steps in the same order. We have walked Arkansas families through it for over 40 years, and knowing what comes next takes a great deal of the fear out of it.
Free consultation · No obligation · Central Arkansas
Where most people are
Nobody arrives here having planned for it
Most people who call us have never been in a courtroom and never wanted to be. They are trying to work out whether they can afford to leave, what happens to the house, and how much of their children's week they are about to lose. Those are not legal questions yet. They are the reason the legal questions matter.
The advice you get for free is usually the worst advice you get. Somebody's cousin's divorce in another state, a forum post, a threat the other side made that may or may not be enforceable. It is very hard to plan around any of it.
What you actually need first is an accurate picture of where you stand under Arkansas law. That is a conversation, and it is free.
Before you file
What Arkansas requires
These are the timing rules that catch people out, particularly anyone who has recently moved to the state.
Residency to file
One spouse must have lived in Arkansas for at least 60 days before a complaint for divorce can be filed.
Grounds and the complaint
The complaint sets out the grounds and what you are asking the court to decide about property, support and children.
Before a decree
A decree will not be granted until at least 30 days after the complaint is filed, and one spouse must have lived in the state for three full months.
Two very different roads
Contested or uncontested, and why it decides the cost
Contested
Something is genuinely in dispute: property, support, or time with the children. The court decides what you cannot.
- Longer, because the schedule is the court's
- Discovery, negotiation and possibly a trial
- Where having an experienced advocate matters most
Why us
We will tell you when fighting is not worth it
Plenty of divorce cases are won by not having them. Where an agreement is achievable, pushing you into a contested fight costs you money you will need afterward and time your children do not get back.
Where the other side will not deal fairly, that is a different matter, and after 40 years in Arkansas courts we know the difference. What you get from us either way is a straight answer about your position.
- Contested and uncontested divorce
- Property division, including the house and retirement
- Spousal support
- Custody and support where children are involved
Common questions
Divorce questions we hear every day
How long do I have to have lived in Arkansas to file?
Arkansas requires that one spouse has lived in the state for at least 60 days before you can file. A decree will not be granted until at least 30 days after the complaint is filed, and one spouse must have lived in the state for three full months.
How long does a divorce take?
Six to eighteen months is a realistic range, and where you land inside it depends almost entirely on how much is in dispute. An uncontested divorce where both people agree on the terms moves at the short end. A contested property or custody fight runs at the long end because the timeline belongs to the court.
What does a divorce cost?
Far less if it is uncontested. An agreed divorce costs a fraction of a contested one, because most of the cost in a divorce is conflict rather than paperwork. We go over the likely range with you at the free consultation and tell you honestly which category yours looks like.
How is property divided?
Marital property is divided between the spouses, and what counts as marital property is often the real argument, particularly with a house, a business, a retirement account or something one spouse brought into the marriage. We work out what is actually on the table before negotiating over it.
Do we both need our own attorney?
We can only represent one of you. Even in a friendly, agreed divorce, one lawyer cannot advise both sides, because your interests are not identical no matter how amicable things are today.
Find out where you actually stand
Call us for a free consultation. We will explain how Arkansas law applies to your situation and what your realistic options are.
Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM