Legal Question in Family Law in New York
How long does it take?
Back in October of 2002 I hired a lawyer to file for divorce, all the papers were signed by both parties and it is a simple uncontested divorce. At the end of November my attorney was paid in full and she told all she had to do was file with the courts and it would take about 45-60 days and I would be divorced. Here it is 4 months later and nothing. What should I do? I live in Queens county, can I contact the local gov't office to find out what the hold up is myself, my attorney seems to have no explanation. PLEASE help, I don't even know where to start
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: How long does it take?
Your lawyer should tell you when the Judgment was filed.
If he cannot, then you may wish to verify this yourself or ask another attorney to determine the facts for you.
Re: How long does it take?
After the uncontested divorce papers are filed with the Court clerk, they must be approved by the Clerk before they will be forwarded to a Judge. In my experience,in Queens County,the process takes longer than the time frame quoted by your lawyer. You should try calling the Queens County Matrimonial term (718-520-3380) to see if they can tell you the status of your papers. Because you are represented by an attorney, they may simply instruct you to have your lawyer call. If necessary, you should insist that a lawyer follow up on the status of the paperwork for you.
Good luck
Whitney A. Clark, Esq.
www.jeanmahserjian.com