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Divorce can affect nearly every part of your life, from where your children live to what happens to your home, finances, and future plans. When so much is changing at once, having clear legal guidance can help you make decisions with a better understanding of what is at stake.
RCG Law Group helps individuals and families in South Jordan navigate divorce and other family law matters. Whether you expect to reach an agreement with your spouse or anticipate disputes over custody, property, support, or other issues, our attorneys can help you understand your options and build a strategy around what matters most to you.
With more than 50 years of combined legal experience and thousands of clients served, our team is prepared to guide you through the legal process while helping you protect your family, finances, and future.
Divorce is About More Than Ending a Marriage
A divorce legally ends a marriage, but the decisions made during the process can continue affecting your life long after the divorce is finalized.
For parents, the biggest concern may be how much time they will have with their children or who will make important decisions about their education, healthcare, and upbringing. For others, the priority may be protecting their home, retirement savings, business interests, or financial stability.
A divorce may require decisions about:
- Child custody and parenting time
- Child support
- Alimony
- The marital home
- Bank accounts and investments
- Retirement accounts
- Business ownership
- Vehicles and other property
- Marital debts
- Insurance and other financial obligations
These issues are often connected. A custody decision, for example, may affect child support. Keeping the marital home may influence how other property is divided.
Working with an experienced divorce attorney can help you look at the full picture before agreeing to terms that may affect you for years to come.
How Our South Jordan Divorce Lawyers Can Help
Every marriage, family, and financial situation is different. Our attorneys help clients identify the issues that matter most in their divorce and determine the best way to move forward.
Child Custody and Parenting Time
For parents, protecting their relationship with their children is often the highest priority in a divorce. Utah custody cases may involve questions about legal custody, physical custody, parenting schedules, holidays, transportation, decision-making authority, and other responsibilities.
Our attorneys help parents understand their rights and pursue custody arrangements that reflect their children’s best interests while protecting their ability to remain actively involved in their lives. When parents cannot agree on custody or parenting time, we can help present their position through mediation, negotiation, or litigation.
Child support and alimony
Divorce can create major financial changes for both spouses. Depending on the circumstances, one spouse may be required to pay child support, alimony, or both. These obligations can affect household budgets and long-term financial planning, which makes it important to understand how they are calculated and what information the court may consider.
Our attorneys help clients evaluate income, expenses, parenting arrangements, and other factors that may affect support. We can also help address disputes involving inaccurate income information, self-employment, changing financial circumstances, or other complications.
Property and debt division
Dividing property is not always as simple as deciding who keeps which belongings. A divorce may involve a home, vehicles, savings accounts, investments, retirement funds, credit card debt, loans, or other significant financial interests.
Our attorneys can help identify marital assets and debts, evaluate how they may be divided, and work toward an outcome that protects your financial interests. Before agreeing to a settlement, it is important to understand both the immediate and long-term consequences of the proposed property division.
High-asset and financially complex divorces
Divorces involving substantial assets can require additional financial analysis and planning.
High-asset cases may involve:
- Closely held businesses
- Multiple properties
- Investment accounts
- Retirement plans
- Stock compensation
- Professional practices
- Trust interests
- Complex debt structures
- High household income
Accurately identifying and valuing these assets may be critical before settlement discussions begin. RCG Law Group helps clients navigate complex financial issues and determine which assets require closer review before an agreement is reached.
Contested and uncontested divorce
Some spouses are able to agree on the major terms of their divorce. Others disagree over custody, support, property, or other important issues.
In an uncontested divorce, spouses may be able to negotiate an agreement without asking a judge to decide every issue.
In a contested divorce, unresolved disputes may require mediation, additional negotiation, or ultimately a court hearing or trial.
Our attorneys can help you evaluate your options and determine whether a negotiated resolution or litigation best fits your circumstances.
What happens during a divorce in Utah?
The exact process varies from case to case, but most Utah divorces involve several common stages.
1. Filing the Divorce Petition
A divorce begins when one spouse files a Petition for Divorce with the court. The petition provides basic information about the marriage and identifies issues the court may need to address, such as custody, support, property, and debts.
The other spouse must then be formally notified and given an opportunity to respond.
2. Financial Disclosures and Temporary Arrangements
Both spouses may need to exchange information about income, property, debts, expenses, and other financial matters. If the divorce will take time to resolve, temporary orders may also be necessary.
Temporary orders can address matters such as:
- Child custody
- Parenting time
- Child support
- Alimony
- Payment of household expenses
- Use of the marital home
These orders may remain in place while the divorce is pending.
3. Negotiation and mediation
Many divorce cases are resolved without a trial. The spouses and their attorneys may negotiate directly or participate in mediation to try to reach agreements on disputed issues.
Mediation gives both parties an opportunity to discuss possible solutions with the help of a neutral mediator. Reaching an agreement can give spouses more control over the final outcome rather than leaving every decision to a judge.
4. Trial when disputes remain
If the spouses cannot resolve all of their disagreements, the remaining issues may need to be decided in court. Each side can present evidence and arguments before a judge, who will make decisions about the unresolved matters. Having an attorney who is prepared to negotiate but also ready to litigate can be important when settlement is not possible.
5. Final divorce decree
A divorce is finalized when the court enters a divorce decree. The decree establishes the final terms governing issues such as custody, parenting time, support, property division, and other responsibilities. Because these terms can affect your life for years, it is important to understand what you are agreeing to before the decree becomes final.
What Should You Protect During a Divorce?
It can be difficult to make major decisions when you are also dealing with the emotional and practical changes that come with ending a marriage. One of the first steps in building a divorce strategy is identifying what matters most to you.
Depending on your situation, your priorities may include protecting:
- Your relationship with your children
- Your ability to remain financially stable
- Your home
- Your share of marital property
- Retirement savings
- Business interests
- Investments
- Real estate
- Your credit and financial obligations
- Your ability to move forward after the divorce
There is rarely one approach that works for every divorce. An attorney can help you understand how different choices may affect these priorities and identify potential risks before you make major decisions.
Why Choose RCG Law Group for Your South Jordan Divorce?
Choosing a divorce attorney is about more than finding someone who can file paperwork.
You need someone who can help you understand your options, identify potential problems, and advocate for you when important decisions about your family and finances are being made.
We Are Based in South Jordan
RCG Law Group’s headquarters is located in South Jordan, Utah. Our attorneys work with individuals and families throughout the area who are facing divorce, custody disputes, support issues, and other family law matters.
Working with a local legal team means you have attorneys who regularly handle Utah family law cases and understand the legal process you are entering.
An Experienced Family Law Team
RCG Law Group has more than 50 years of combined legal experience and has served thousands of clients. Our team has handled a wide range of divorce and family law matters, from relatively straightforward uncontested divorces to complex disputes involving children, substantial assets, and difficult negotiations.
That experience helps us identify issues early and build a legal strategy based on the specific circumstances of your case.
A Strategy Built Around Your Future
The goal of a divorce case should not simply be to get through the legal process. The decisions made during divorce can shape your financial situation, your parenting arrangements, and your daily life moving forward.
We take the time to understand your priorities and help you evaluate which outcomes matter most. That may mean working toward a settlement that reduces conflict, or it may mean taking a stronger position when important rights or assets are at risk.
Prepared to Negotiate or Go to Court
Many divorces can be resolved through negotiation or mediation. When a reasonable agreement is possible, settling outside of court may reduce conflict, cost, and uncertainty.
But reaching an agreement should not mean accepting terms that do not protect your interests. When litigation is necessary, our attorneys are prepared to present your case and advocate for you in court.
Talk to a Divorce Lawyer in South Jordan About Your Next Step
You do not need to have every decision figured out before speaking with an attorney. You may already know that you want to file for divorce, or you may simply be trying to understand what would happen if you did.
A consultation can help you better understand your rights, the issues that may come up in your case, and the steps you can take to protect yourself before moving forward.
Contact our South Jordan divorce lawyers today to schedule a consultation and discuss your next step.
RCG Law Group is headquartered at 10619 South Jordan Gateway, Suite 100, South Jordan, UT 84095.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a divorce take in Utah?
The length of a Utah divorce depends on the circumstances of the case. An uncontested divorce in which both spouses agree on custody, support, property, and other major issues may move more quickly than a contested case. If the spouses disagree, additional negotiation, mediation, discovery, hearings, or a trial may be necessary. Complex financial issues or custody disputes can also extend the timeline.
Do I need a divorce lawyer in Utah?
Utah law does not require every person going through a divorce to hire an attorney. However, legal representation can be especially valuable when your divorce involves children, significant property, retirement accounts, a business, alimony, or disagreements with your spouse. An attorney can help you understand your rights, evaluate proposed agreements, and avoid decisions that could create problems later.
How is property divided in a Utah divorce?
Utah generally follows the principle of equitable distribution when dividing marital property. Equitable does not always mean that every asset is divided exactly 50/50. The court may consider the circumstances of the marriage and the financial position of each spouse when determining an appropriate division.
Before agreeing to a property settlement, it is important to identify which assets are marital property, determine what they are worth, and understand the financial effect of the proposed division.
Who gets custody of the children in a Utah divorce?
Custody decisions are based on the circumstances of the family and the best interests of the children. Utah courts may consider a variety of factors when determining legal custody, physical custody, and parenting time.
Parents may also reach their own custody agreement through negotiation or mediation and submit it to the court for approval. A family law attorney can help you understand how custody laws may apply to your situation.
Can my spouse and I settle our divorce without going to court?
Many divorcing spouses are able to resolve some or all of their issues through negotiation or mediation. If an agreement is reached, it can generally be submitted to the court as part of the final divorce process.
Reaching a settlement can reduce the number of issues a judge must decide and may give both spouses more control over the final terms. However, it is still important to understand the legal and financial consequences of an agreement before signing it.
What if my spouse does not want a divorce?
A spouse generally cannot prevent a divorce indefinitely simply because they do not want the marriage to end. Utah allows divorce based on irreconcilable differences, so one spouse may pursue a divorce even when the other does not agree. A spouse can still dispute issues such as custody, support, or property division, which may make the case more complicated.
When should I contact a South Jordan divorce attorney?
It can be helpful to speak with an attorney as early as possible, including before you officially file for divorce. Getting legal advice early may help you avoid mistakes involving finances, property, custody arrangements, or communications with your spouse.
You should consider speaking with an attorney before signing agreements, moving significant assets, making major changes to parenting arrangements, or taking other steps that could affect your case.