In family law, divorce law is a procedure in which couple can end their marriage even before the deaths of either spouse. Since its existence, divorce has been developed and several approaches to it have been founded. Some can be found to be more adversarial and longer while others are faster and can easily grant divorce.



The approach to divorce varies by jurisdiction. The two basic approaches to divorce: fault based and no-fault based. Under a no-fault divorce system the dissolution of a marriage does not require an allegation or proof of fault of either party to be shown.

Prior to the latter decades of the 20th century in the US, a spouse seeking divorce had to show a cause such as cruelty, incurable mental illness, or adultery, which is a ground for at-fault divorce. Even in such cases, a divorce was barred in cases such as the suing spouse's procurement or connivance, condonation, or recrimination.

Prior to the 1970s, divorcing spouses had to allege that the other spouse was guilty of a crime or sin like abandonment or adultery; when spouses simply could not get along, lawyers were forced to manufacture "uncontested" divorces. The no-fault divorce revolution began in 1969 in California; South Dakota was the last state to allow no-fault divorce, in 1985.

In some states fault grounds remain, but all states except New York now provide other grounds as well, variously termed irreconcilable differences, irremediable breakdown, loss of affection, or similar. For such grounds no fault need be proven and little defense is possible. However, most states require some waiting period, typically a 1 to 2 year separation. Visit the North Carolina divorce lawyer to learn more about divorce processes.

Fault grounds, when available, are sometimes still sought. This may be done where it reduces the waiting period otherwise required, or possibly in hopes of affecting decisions related to a divorce, such as child custody, child support, alimony, and so on. States vary in the admissibility of such evidence for those decisions. Visit the North Carolina divorce lawyer to learn about fault and no-fault divorces.

In any case, a no-fault divorce can be arranged far more easily, although the terms of the divorce can be and often are contested with respect to child-related matters and finances. Ultimately most cases are settled by the parties before trial.

Some have argued that the lack of means to contest a no-fault divorce makes a marriage contract the easiest of all contracts to dissolve, and in very recent years some have begun to favor moderate divorce reforms such as requiring mutual consent for no-fault divorce. For more information about the no-fault and fault process of divorce, then visit the North Carolina divorce lawyer for more details.