How to Prepare Divorce Settlement Papers

Divorce settlements are binding agreements between spouses that outline in detail how marital property, joint debts, money, assets and property will be disposed of during the separation and subsequent divorce. Divorce settlement papers can also include provisions about child custody, spousal support and child support payments.

Instructions

1. List all of the terms you and your spouse have agreed upon. Divorce settlement papers should contain all the agreements that you, your spouse, and your respective attorneys have made, both verbally and in other written documents.

2. Draft your agreement giving each provision of your settlement its own section in the agreement. Make sure that each individual provision of the agreement is described in detail and appears in its own numbered section. This will make it easier for you or your attorney to refer to specific provisions of the agreement if you need to discuss them with the judge or refer to them later in your divorce petition.

3. Format your document in accordance with your jurisdiction's rules to determine how the document should be formatted and served on your spouse or his or her attorney. You can obtain a copy of the rules at the clerk's office of your local court. Specific guidelines for formatting, service and content vary between locales, so templates you find on the Internet or in basic legal guides might not be valid in your city and state.

4. Provide a copy for your spouse and his or her attorney to review and sign. Before you submit your divorce settlement papers to the court, your spouse should review them to make sure that they accurately reflect your agreement. If your spouse agrees with the terms as you list them, he or she will need to sign and date them in order to legally execute consent.

5. Notarize your signature. In some jurisdictions you might need to have a notary public witness your signature on the settlement papers. If your locale does require this, you will be asked to show photo ID, such as a driver's license, at the time you sign the documents.

References

• Woman's Divorce

Resources

• Find Law