Legal Question in Family Law in Massachusetts
divorce proceedings
I hired an atty on June 6th to start divorce proceedings. My husband has yet to be served. Is this normal or should he have been served by now?
3 Answers from Attorneys
Re: divorce proceedings
Depending upon how and when the complaint was filed and your attorneys court schedule it can take several weeks to get service completed.
I assume he has filed the complaint and you have given all the documents he needed to file, such a certified copy of the marriage license. If not, he may be waiting to get a copy of the marriage license before filing and there is little he can do about that.
Good Luck, reasonable patience is required in Divorces.
Re: divorce proceedings
Depending upon how and when the complaint was filed and your attorneys court schedule it can take several weeks to get service completed.
I assume he has filed the complaint and you have given all the documents he needed to file, such a certified copy of the marriage license. If not, he may be waiting to get a copy of the marriage license before filing and there is little he can do about that.
Good Luck, reasonable patience is required in Divorces.
Re: divorce proceedings
What Mr. Roth said is smack on. Though computers make some of this faster and easier, there are still inevitable delays. The court system is not always quick to respond, and the days when I had a pile of Summonses to send out with Complaints that were barely filed is gone -- because some attorneys abused such matters, so we get one summons at a time, rationed by the Register's office. There may be other delays, too, such as scheduling temporary orders.
If you have general confidence in the attorney, be patient. You have over a year to get through before you're divorced. If you already suspect him of lying, interview another attorney or three. You need to have confidence in the man or woman who will be trying to cobble together your post-divorce life.