Longmont · Boulder County · Weld County
Your Colorado divorce runs on a 91-day clock.
The court cannot enter a decree until at least 91 days after it has jurisdiction over your spouse. Know your date on day one, then build the case to be ready when it arrives.
Attorney Liken handles your case personally. Office telephone 303-406-2791
This is the earliest date the law allows, not a promise. Agreements, paperwork and the court's calendar set the real date. Source: Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 1019 Decree form.
What the case decides
Five decisions. Every one of them is yours to shape.
Colorado is a no-fault state. The court finds the marriage irretrievably broken. You do not have to prove wrongdoing.
The house, accounts, retirement, vehicles and debts are divided between you.
A schedule for the children, and how major decisions about their lives get made.
Set by Colorado's guideline worksheet, using both parents' figures.
Colorado's word for spousal support. Whether it is paid, how much, and for how long.
Sources: Colorado Judicial Branch, Divorce or Legal Separation; Calculate Child Support and Maintenance; JDF 1019.
Before anyone files
Three facts that decide where and when you can file
- 91 days in Colorado. You or your spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing.
- 182 days for the children. For the Colorado court to make parenting orders, the children generally must have lived here at least 182 days, or since birth.
- Your county. File in the county where you or your spouse lives. Longmont sits in both Boulder County and Weld County, so your street address matters.
Source: Colorado Judicial Branch, Divorce or Legal Separation.
The process
The four steps the court lays out, and what we do at each one
Start the case
A petition and case information sheet are filed in the right county, together or by one spouse. We draft and e-file them, and we decide with you whether a joint filing makes sense.
JDF 1011 · JDF 1000 · JDF 1012 if filing alone
Notify your spouse
If you file alone, your spouse is formally served or signs a waiver. That date usually starts the 91-day clock.
JDF 1013 waiver · JDF 1014 return of service
The response
Your spouse files a response. If you are the one served, we prepare yours so nothing is conceded by accident.
JDF 1015
Initial Status Conference and beyond
The court's Case Management Order sets the next deadlines. From here the work is financial disclosure, negotiation or mediation, and either a signed agreement or a hearing.
Steps and form numbers from the Colorado Judicial Branch. Always use the current form from the court's forms page.
Get ready
The documents checklist
Gathering these early is the single cheapest thing you can do for your case. Tick them off as you go. Your ticks stay on this device only.
Cost, up front
What it costs to talk to us
20-minute phone call
Attorney Liken calls you at the time you pick. You get a straight read on your situation and the next step.
Pick a timeIn-depth hour
A full hour with Attorney Liken to go through your finances, children and options in detail.
Book the hourRepresentation
If you hire the firm, the terms are in a written fee agreement before any work starts. No surprises.
Divorce cost and timeline guideYour lawyer, start to finish
Attorney Charles E. Liken Jr.
He has been the investigator who builds the file, the prosecutor who reads it, and the court-appointed investigator who reports to the judge. In a divorce, that means he knows which facts move a judge and which fights only move the bill.
- Former Colorado Deputy District Attorney
- Colorado court-appointed Child & Family Investigator
- 700+ government fraud investigations
- 30+ years in the legal field
- Licensed in Colorado
Questions
Straight answers
General information, not advice for your case.
How fast can a Colorado divorce be final?
No sooner than 91 days after the court gets jurisdiction over your spouse. Many agreed cases finish close to that. Contested cases take longer, depending on the issues and the court's calendar.
Do I have to prove my spouse did something wrong?
No. The court only has to find the marriage irretrievably broken.
Can we file together?
Yes. Colorado lets spouses file jointly as co-petitioners, which skips formal service. It works best when you already agree on most things.
What is the difference between divorce and legal separation?
A legal separation can decide everything a divorce decides, but you stay married. A separation can later be converted to a divorce after 182 days, with written notice to the other party.
What if my spouse will not sign anything?
Then your spouse is formally served, and the case moves forward on the court's schedule whether or not your spouse cooperates.
Do I have to use a lawyer?
No, the court has forms for people who represent themselves. A lawyer is most valuable when there are children, a house, retirement accounts, a business, or a spouse with a lawyer.
Sources: JDF 1019; Divorce or Legal Separation.
Talk it through
Find out where you stand in 20 minutes
Pick a time and Attorney Liken calls you. No charge and no obligation.
Office telephone 303-406-2791
Office fax number 720-713-7147
Email charles@longmont.law
Office mailing address
The Longmont Law Firm, LLC
1601 29th St. Suite 1292
Boulder, CO 80301
Please do not send confidential details by email before we speak. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.