What is an uncontested divorce?
An uncontested divorce is a situation where the wife and the husband are able to agree to all the terms of the divorce. The terms which the wife and the husband have to agree to for an uncontested divorce to occur are as follows:
Division of the matrimonial home
Division of the matrimonial assets
If the wife and the husband disagree on even one of the terms of the divorce as stated above, the divorce application becomes contested. Contested divorce proceedings cost significantly more than uncontested divorce proceedings. In this regard, it is in your best interest to discuss the terms of the divorce with your spouse so that you can proceed with your divorce on an uncontested basis.
There is also still value in hiring a lawyer even in an uncontested divorce application.
There have been many people who have tried to apply for their uncontested divorce application by themselves. They usually waste days of precious annual leave struggling with the legal procedure, before giving up and hiring a lawyer to complete the paperwork for them.
A lawyer can advise you on whether you can and should ask for maintenance, or if your spouse’s proposal for the division of matrimonial assets is reasonable in the context of the specific facts of your marriage. Furthermore, a lawyer can also advise you if you should accede to the terms for custody, care and control, and access to the children of the marriage that your spouse is asking for.
You should consider if it is worth engaging a lawyer to guide you through the divorce process, or if you want to risk wasting precious time navigating confusing legal procedures with no guarantee that you can complete the divorce application successfully by yourself. After all, the market for uncontested divorce is becoming increasingly commoditised with lawyers offering fixed fee packages for uncontested divorce at reasonable fees of below S$1,500.
