Need for Speed: Realistic Expectations for Finalizing a Divorce

How fast can I be divorced?

Faster than you fear, slower than you hope. That's the honest answer, and this article is the long version of it. When people are ready for their divorce to be over, they are generally really ready - the decision took months or years, and once it's made, every additional week feels like an insult. I understand the impulse completely. But the desire for speed makes people vulnerable to unrealistic promises, so let's separate what's actually possible from what's wishful thinking with a website attached.

The floor: 30 days, no exceptions

Missouri has a mandatory 30-day waiting period - a Judge cannot enter a Judgment of Dissolution until the case has been on file for at least 30 days. I can't bypass the mandatory waiting period, no other attorney can, and no online service can, regardless of what their advertising implies. In other words, the fastest theoretically possible Missouri divorce is 31 days from filing, and anyone promising you something quicker is promising something the law does not allow. Treat that as a useful screening tool: if a provider fibs about the floor, wonder what else they're fibbing about.

The parts I control

My end of the timeline moves as fast as the law allows. Rough drafts of all of your paperwork are delivered within two to three days of receiving your information, revisions are turned around within 24 hours at no charge, and the case is filed as soon as everything is signed. No delays, no excuses, and no hidden or additional fees. Over 5,000 cases, my office has gotten reasonably good at not being the slow part.

The parts you control

The stretch between "drafts delivered" and "everything signed" belongs entirely to you and your spouse. Some couples review, revise, sign, and notarize within a couple days; others take a few weeks, whether due to work schedules, travel, or a spouse who needs a little runway. Neither pace is wrong - but if speed is the priority, this is where speed is made. A case can only be filed once both parties have signed, and the 30-day clock doesn't start until filing. The single best thing you can do to hurry your divorce along is to be prompt, and to marry your promptness to your spouse's (a phrase I'll admit reads strangely in a divorce article).

The part nobody controls

Once the waiting period has run and your paperwork is on the Judge's desk, it's up to the Judge how long it takes. Judges go out of town, they conduct trials, and are generally just busy. Most Judgments are entered within a week or two of the waiting period expiring, but I can't promise a date, and I won't pretend to. This is also the stage that produces the panicked day-31 phone calls - "the waiting period is over, why am I not divorced?!" - so let me pre-answer: nothing is wrong. Your case isn't lost, the court hasn't forgotten you, and no news at day 31 (or 35, or 40) is entirely normal. The Judgment is coming.

So what's realistic?

Put it all together and the arithmetic is straightforward: a week or two of drafting, reviewing, and signing; the mandatory 30 days on file; and a week or two on the Judge's desk. That's how most of my cases land in the 45-to-60-day range, give or take - with the motivated, prompt-signing couples occasionally finishing closer to the 31-day floor, and the slow-reviewing ones drifting past 60 with no harm done. For perspective, keep in mind that a contested divorce is routinely measured in years, not weeks. By the standards of the legal system, a 45-day divorce is very nearly teleportation.

To recap:

• The 30-day waiting period is the law's floor - nobody can beat it, and you should side-eye anyone who claims otherwise.
• My end: drafts in two to three days, revisions in 24 hours, filing as soon as you've signed.
• Your end: the faster you and your spouse review and sign, the sooner the 30-day clock starts.
• The Judge's end: a week or two after the waiting period, on the Judge's schedule, not mine or yours.
• Realistic total: 45 to 60 days, give or take - and silence at day 31 is normal, not a problem.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to contact me for more information.