The answer is yes. Generally, one party files a Petition for Divorce with the Court. When they file, an injunction is issued by the court prohibiting the parties from doing anything to disturb the marital estate that was not a typical action during the marriage, or from trying to prevent one parent from seeing the child(ren). After they are served, the other party has 21 days to file an answer and then the process begins. Mediation is mandatory for family law cases in Utah. Many cases are resolved during mediation, though sometimes more than one attempt at mediation is needed. If mediation is unsuccessful in whole or in part, the parties proceed to trial on any unresolved issue. During this common path, the parties could go to court for temporary orders, discovery issues or even for a violation of the domestic injunction. If parties do not want to go the traditional route, they can attend mediation prior to filing a Petition for Divorce. In that case, if the parties are able to resolve their case, they can file a stipulated Petition for Divorce. The parties can also engage in the collaborative law process, which is a different approach to conflict resolution in a divorce.

Most people prefer full legal representation from start to finish. However, such representation might be too expensive, or in some cases full representation might not be needed where a case has only a few issues. In those situations, we offer unbundled or a la carte services. The client selects what they need from us. A few commonly requested unbundled services are: document review, appearance at a court hearing, legal advice for an agreement reached without representation, or attendance at mediation.

Family Law matters can become costly, especially when it is necessary to involve the courts. We have found that what is often most stressful for our clients is not knowing exactly how much our services will cost. We listened to our clients and have now moved to a flat fee billing system for almost all matters. No longer will clients have to be concerned with the cost for every email, phone call or text message. LKT Legal clients know up front how much their family law matter will cost from start to finish. There are always many paths to take in these matters such as having a temporary orders hearing, seeking additional discovery, retaining an expert witness, or even going to trial. The fee for those types of services will always be explained so clients can make informed decisions about how they want to proceed. We also offer payment options to our clients to ease the financial burden on them.