Getting a divorce in Aurora
Domestic Relations evaluations can be thorough
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State perspective overview
For an overview of state law, the benefits of counseling and the need to urgently address domestic violence, if such problems are a factor in your situation, please see “Divorce in Colorado.”
Local domestic violence resources
Fortunately, residents in the Aurora area, which includes parts of Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas Counties, have several agencies and facilities that can help with domestic violence, including these online resources:
- Aurora Police Department’s domestic violence page;
- Arapahoe County Human Services;
- Douglas County Sheriff;
- Adams County Sheriff;
- Women’s Crisis Family Outreach Center;
- Colorado Department of Human Services (find resources near you).
Residency requirements & venue
State law says that in order for Colorado to have jurisdiction, at least one of the parties to a divorce proceeding must have been a resident of the state for at least 90 days before filing the papers.
The next question for Aurora residents who wish to file for divorce is: which of the three counties do one the parties live in? If you’re not sure, contact each of the following until you are, and then proceed accordingly:
Domestic Relations evaluations
According to the Arapahoe County Human Services’ Domestic Relations page, “The Domestic Relations Division provides court-ordered child and family investigator services and evaluations on the allocation of parental responsibilities to assist the Arapahoe County District Court judges and families with devising a schedule outlining what parental rights and responsibilities each parent shall manage following separations and divorce.”
Please notice: this can be an extremely in-depth analysis of your family and household: although some litigants might welcome such an inquiry, others might find it upsetting or even invasive. Of course, if the court orders such an analysis, little can be done but to comply with a court order. Also, notice, fees are involved; if you are fervently pro or con such an action, consulting with a trained, experienced divorce attorney early in the process may be a wise move:
The court can provide:
- Thorough assessment of families completed by professionals with expertise in divorce and co-parenting issues
- Comprehensive investigations and evaluations of the comparative capabilities of both parents
- Family member interviews
- Interviews and assessments of significant others, step-parents and grandparents, when applicable
- Home visit with each parent and child
- Observations of parent/child interactions
- Interviews of professional and collateral references and background checks
- Investigations and evaluations for initial court orders, modification of existing orders and post-decree conflicts
Reports can be tailor-made to include:
- Recommendations according to the court order and tailored specifically for each family
- Recommendations designed to lessen the parental conflicts around children
- Written reports with recommendations concerning the division of parental responsibilities and parenting time
- Recommendations based on data gatheredand summarization of each parent’s strengths
- Recommendations outlined for Child and Family Investigator CRS 14-10-116.5 and Allocation of Parental Responsibilities Evaluator CRS 14-10-127
Timeline:
Investigations and evaluations are generally completed in 12 – 14 weeks.
Costs:
- Only a $1,500 retainer, from which services are billed at $45 per hour, unless otherwise ordered by the Court.
- Court time and testimony fees are billed at $80 per hour.
Free evaluation
No matter your marital situation, we can help. If you’re ready to begin the search for a compatible, well trained, experienced divorce attorney, you can start with our free case evaluation. If you need more information, please browse our site, using the tabs at the top of the page.
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