Top-Rated Divorce Lawyer Near You in Franklin County, OH
Getting divorced, even under the best of circumstances, is often one of the most difficult experiences in a lifetime. For some people, divorce is a welcomed relief.
Often considered one of the major “life events,” divorce continues to be overlooked as a challenging experience. Unlike other life events, such as childbirth, marriage, or a major move, divorce is more commonly associated with negativity and unhappiness.
Although it is unlikely that anyone who has experienced a divorce would shine a positive light on it, the process can be less stressful when you have the right team of lawyers on your side.
If you are considering or going through a divorce and would like to talk with an experienced divorce attorney near you in Franklin County, Ohio, call our office today at (614) 420-2424 to schedule your free consultation or contact us online.
Overview of the Divorce Process in Ohio
- Hiring a Divorce Attorney in Columbus, Ohio
- A Firm With Client-Centered Values
- What Should Clients Expect When Meeting With a Franklin County Divorce Lawyer?
- Do I Need to Hire a Divorce Attorney if My Spouse and I Agree About Everything?
- Filing Court Documents in Franklin County
- What Is Collaborative Divorce in Ohio?
- Talk With a Family Law Attorney About Divorce in Franklin County, OH
Hiring a Divorce Attorney in Columbus, Ohio
At the Joslyn Law Firm, our legal team is led by our managing attorney Brian Joslyn. With his team of highly qualified attorneys, the firm focuses on treating every client with compassion while aggressively advocating for them in the courtroom. Brian Joslyn has won numerous awards for his legal skills in family law and criminal law.
Columbus CEO Magazine included Brian Joslyn as one of Columbus’s Top Lawyers in 2015. The National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys voted him as a Top 10 attorney under 40 in 2016. The next year, he was selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Only 2.5% of attorneys in the state of Ohio are selected each year for this award.
He is also a recipient of two other prestigious awards. In 2014, The National Trial Lawyers nominated him as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer. Only two years later, Rue Ratings selected Brian Joslyn as one of the Best Attorneys Of America. These awards are in addition to his memberships in numerous professional and community organizations.
When you work with Brian Joslyn, you can feel secure with the knowledge that you are working with one of the finest attorneys in Ohio, Columbus, and Franklin County.
Considered a top Ohio law firm for family law and divorce cases, Brian Joslyn and his team have developed positive reputations with their clients, judges, and the Franklin County legal community. Their reputation and skills were recognized in 2015 and 2016 when The American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys awarded Joslyn Law Firm as a 10 Best firm for client satisfaction.
A Firm With Client-Centered Values
Joslyn Law Firm also provides clients with a unique, family feel that you are unlikely to find elsewhere.
Angie Joslyn, who is the firm’s Operations and Account Manager, is also Brian Joslyn’s business and life partner. She works to exceed clients’ expectations and acts as a point of contact for prospective and current clients.
With her several years of family law experience, she has witnessed clients’ difficult emotions and listened to their stories.
Angie Joslyn knows that the divorce process requires both legal, emotional, and psychological support.
What Should Clients Expect When Meeting With a Franklin County Divorce Lawyer?
Clients in the Beginning Stages of Divorce
If you have recently separated from your spouse or you are in the beginning stages of the divorce process, meeting with an attorney for the first time can make you feel vulnerable.
For clients, the first meeting with an attorney can often represent the start of a new life, which is often difficult to grasp emotionally. When you meet with one of our attorneys for the first time, we take the time necessary to learn about your goals and needs.
We will thoroughly review the unique facts of your case so that we are prepared to address any relevant issue and help you achieve the best possible result in your divorce case.
It is not unusual for clients to come to our office for a consultation when they are not yet ready to begin divorce proceedings. This is normal, and we understand that every person needs to do what is right for them.
Meeting with an attorney provides you with the knowledge to help you plan your future, even if you are unsure whether you are ready to proceed with the divorce process.
When you are ready to meet with us, we are ready to listen and provide you with what we think are your best options moving forward.
Clients in the Middle of or After Divorce
At times, clients come to the Joslyn Law Firm after they have already started a divorce proceeding. They may have already filed for divorce or attempted mediation. They may be preparing for an upcoming hearing. These clients are often looking for a new attorney or have tried representing themselves without success.
If either of these situations sounds like what you’re experiencing, we are ready to review where you are in your proceedings and help you move forward.
There is even the possibility that you may have finished your divorce case and are seeking a lawyer for a post-decree issue. Our lawyers have helped many clients resolve post-decree issues, including:
- The termination or modification of spousal support or child support;
- Child custody or parenting time disputes;
- Interpretation of the divorce decree; and
- Temporary and emergency motions.
If you need legal assistance or simply do not know where to start, call our Columbus divorce lawyers today at (614) 420-2424 to schedule a free consultation or contact us online.
Do I Need to Hire a Divorce Attorney if My Spouse and I Agree About Everything?
In short—no. If you and your spouse intend to leave the marriage without disagreements, count yourself lucky and potentially not in need of much legal services.
In uncontested divorce situations, couples will save the considerable time, stress, and money often associated with divorce. However, separating couples can still face obstacles, including navigation of the court system as well as the knowledge and understanding of documents and how to complete and file them correctly.
Attorneys can provide the necessary guidance on the language and terminology used in the documents and ensure that their clients understand their meanings and implications. In Ohio, a complete agreement requires filing a petition for dissolution of marriage.
Even without any disagreement, a judicial officer must still review and approve a dissolution petition and separation agreement before granting the dissolution. Judges review these documents to ensure that neither person is mistreated or manipulated during the divorce process by the other spouse.
They will require that the parties reach an agreement on several issues, including:
- Spousal support;
- Child support;
- Child custody;
- Parenting time schedule; and
- Property division of assets and debts.
Joint petitions that involve children receive more scrutiny from judges since they will want to ensure that the best interests of the children are met while having the ability to communicate and interact with both parents.
Hiring an attorney to help you fill out the forms can provide you with the confidence that your documents are complete and accurate before they are submitted to the court.
Filing Court Documents in Franklin County
If one spouse still lives in Franklin County or has lived there for at least six months, divorce and related court filings are required to be filed with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
Documents can be e-filed through their website, or you can hand deliver them to court administration in the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division.
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas is located at 345 S. High St., Columbus, OH 43215. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most court hearings are still held online. Your attorney can help you access your online court hearing.
What Is Collaborative Divorce In Ohio?
Although divorce can be extremely difficult for families, there is an ongoing societal shift towards helping couples separate more peacefully.
Collaborative divorce is a process where couples end a marriage outside of the courtroom.
Through the use of negotiation, mediation, financial, and childcare experts, couples resolve their disputes before ever filing a court document. Couples who choose this type of process often already agree on some issues before they start a collaborative divorce.
Couples believe they can then resolve any remaining issues without any need for the court system.
However, collaborative divorce is not a solution for high-conflict couples or couples who believe court intervention is required to resolve their disputes.
For the collaborative divorce process to be successful, the spouses involved must reach a complete settlement agreement.
To participate in collaborative divorce, each spouse is required to be represented by an attorney. Both spouses sign collaboration agreements with their attorneys, who will have personalized, unique agreements.
A collaboration agreement is minimally required to contain clauses that provide the following:
- The parties (spouses) agree to make every effort to resolve all remaining disputed issues;
- If collaborative divorce fails, the attorneys must withdraw; and
- If the parties choose to litigate, they are required to hire new attorneys.
When divorcing couples choose collaborative divorce, they have a significant incentive to completely settle.
If they do not resolve every issue, they must start anew in any courtroom litigation. Not only does this add considerable financial costs, but it adds substantial time to the process of obtaining a final divorce decree.
Benefits of Collaborative Divorce
Although collaborative divorce is not the right solution for every couple ending their marriage, it can offer major benefits that include:
- Lower financial costs;
- Less time to obtain a divorce;
- Open communication facilitated by an informal environment;
- Control to determine your future; and
- Attorney advocacy.
Save Time and Money
Courtroom litigation often takes several months.
Some couples find themselves still disputing issues in their divorce over a year later. If parties file for divorce and proceed to trial, the time is filled with hearings, trial preparation, and numerous meetings.
When couples choose collaborative divorce, they bypass all of the waiting time that courts require.
Instead of waiting for multiple court dates, divorcing couples can usually more quickly schedule a mediation, meetings with experts, and negotiations with the other spouse. If the couple can reach an agreement within a reasonable amount of time, they will save themselves many months they otherwise would have spent in court.
In addition to saving substantial time, collaborative divorce is likely to save the couple a lot of money.
With courtroom litigation, there are costs associated with the preparation and filing of documents. Collaborative divorce has very few filing fees, and there is typically far less time spent preparing legal documents.
Although there can be a few lengthy meetings between clients, attorneys, mediators, and experts, the time spent preparing for and attending these meetings is often far less and more cost-effective than those in traditional divorce cases.
Informality Facilitates Open and Honest Communication
Courtroom litigation nearly always requires that attorneys speak for their clients, usually in a formal setting. Although formality might be best for the courtroom, it does not provide divorcing couples with the comfort necessary to tell their side of matters. In collaborative divorce, meetings usually occur in an office conference room.
Both spouses also have many opportunities to discuss what they want and their underlying reasons. The informal environment allows everyone in the room the space to relax and not feel pressure to speak perfectly but openly and honestly.
In other words, it’s a space to collaborate.
Control to Determine Your Future
When couples submit their cases to judges after a hearing or trial, they will likely wait several weeks before learning of the judge’s decision. When they do learn the decision, either or both spouses can feel disappointed if they believe the result was unfair.
Working with a Franklin County collaborative divorce attorney can help you minimize or avoid this disappointment. A collaborative approach allows you to avoid the long wait time between trial and issuance of an order.
More importantly, this approach allows you to have control over the results of your divorce. When you and your spouse can reach a full agreement, you both know exactly what to expect in the future and how to prepare for it.
Although it is unlikely that you will get exactly what you want on every disputed issue, you will have compromised a resolution that you can both live with long into the future.
Attorney Advocacy
If you are interested in a collaborative divorce, you will receive the same advocacy and support as you would in courtroom litigation. Your attorney will explain the law and any offers of compromise that you receive from your spouse.
Your attorney will also explain how any possible results will impact you and your children. An attorney can help you develop counteroffers and compromises where it makes sense and provides a benefit.
Talk With a Family Law Attorney About Divorce in Franklin County, OH
If you live in Franklin County or any of its surrounding counties, the divorce lawyers at the Joslyn Law Firm are ready to help you.
We can help you determine which option – litigation, mediation, or collaborative divorce – is best for you.
The divorce attorneys at Joslyn Law Firm have the experience and skills needed to help you build a successful case.
Call us today at (614) 420-2424 to schedule your free consultation or contact us online.
Reviews of Our Frankin County Divorce Attorneys
Read this 5-star Google review below regarding a complex child custody case in Columbus OH
“I have a complex custody case, and had no idea where to start. I started researching family law attorneys in Columbus and found Joslyn Law Firm. I spoke with Ashley Dollins and after listening to my entire story she gave me very good advice on what I need to do. She was so kind and patient and I am very grateful she is the first person I spoke with regarding getting to see my daughter again. It is clear she is very knowledgeable regarding family law cases, especially a highly complicated case as mine.”
By: Matthew Neiman
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
September 22, 2021
Read more reviews on Google!
This page was last updated by Brian Joslyn
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