Meghann Cuniff is a legal affairs journalist who is a veteran of daily newspapers and has deep experience reporting on complex civil litigation, including mass torts and class actions, securities cases, patent disputes and high-stakes litigation involving major tech companies. She's based in Southern California.
Meghann Cuniff
Meghann Cuniff is a legal affairs journalist who is a veteran of daily newspapers and has deep experience reporting on complex civil litigation, including mass torts and class actions, securities cases, patent disputes and high-stakes litigation involving major tech companies. She's based in Southern California.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
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Jeffrey Johnson, J.D.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Named for Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, is the state’s capital and its most populous city with more than 900,000 people. Parks line both sides of the Scioto River as it runs through the city, which is home to Ohio State University and Ohio Stadium. The city’s economy helps support a legal community that includes many family law practitioners who specialize in marriage dissolution and divorce. If you’ve realized your marriage won’t last, you have many options for a good divorce lawyer in Columbus.
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Best Divorce Attorneys in Columbus
Compare Top Divorce Attorneys
How to Get a Divorce in Ohio
Divorce is stressful and can take an emotional toll on you, especially when you’re not sure what the process will look like in your case. Here are some basic things to know about the process in Ohio that can make your situation easier to manage.
Contested vs. Uncontested Divorce
If you and your spouse agree on all issues such as division of property and debt, spousal support and child support, you can get an uncontested divorce by signing a petition for dissolution of marriage. This is a quicker process compared to a contested divorce where the court, or a mediator, works to resolve your disputes.
Reasons for Divorce
There are nine fault-based reasons for divorce in Ohio—if the filing spouse can prove any of the following reasons, then a fault-based divorce is an option:
- Either spouse had another spouse at the time of the marriage
- A spouse left willingly for a year or more
- Adultery
- Extreme cruelty
- Fraudulent contract (lies, deceit, fraudulently induced marriage)
- Gross neglect of duty
- Habitual drunkenness
- Spouse’s imprisonment
- A spouse obtained the divorce in another state
No fault divorces are also available in the state. No-fault reasons that will support the granting of a divorce in Ohio include:
- Living apart without cohabitation for at least a year
- Incompatibility (unless a spouse denies incompatibility)
Sometimes referred to as irreconcilable differences, incompatibility is frequently listed as a reason for divorce in Ohio because it can lead to a simpler process if both spouses agree.
Filing Fees
Filing fees for divorce-related actions in Ohio vary by county. Franklin County, which includes Columbus, charges $200 for a dissolution, $250 for a divorce, $175 for a legal separation or annulment and $150 for actions involving custody, support and visitation.
Why You Need a Divorce Lawyer
You can represent yourself in your divorce, but a lawyer is better skilled at negotiating an outcome that best represents your interests. The best divorce lawyers in Columbus know how to navigate the process and make sure you get the best agreement possible with your soon-to-be former spouse.
Keeping Emotions Out of the Process
Divorce can be an intensely emotional process, but court procedure is formal and emotions won’t determine the outcome of a case. That’s a big reason why it’s important to have a divorce lawyer working for you who can approach the system as a professional and not be influenced by the personal emotions that are inherent in divorce.
Negotiating a Settlement
The best divorce attorneys in Columbus will know how to approach negotiations with the opposing counsel representing your soon-to-be former spouse. Good attorneys can account for things the other side may be looking for, and they know how the process works and how that can be used to secure a better resolution for you.
Managing the Paperwork and Deadlines
Filing for dissolution or divorce in Ohio requires knowledge of the court process and an adherence to deadlines. The best divorce lawyers in Columbus know all the details about the deadlines you need to meet, and they have a system in place to manage the paperwork and make sure you don’t miss a step in the process.
How to Find the Best Divorce Lawyer in Columbus, Ohio
Not all divorce lawyers are the same. A lot of lawyers advertise themselves as the best, but their practice and style may not fit your needs. Here are a few things to consider when looking for the best divorce lawyer in Columbus.
- Experience: Most divorces involve negotiations outside court, but if your divorce is contested, you want to find an attorney who is capable of litigating in front of a judge in court if necessary. Some attorneys may specialize in contested divorces, but others may have little to no experience.
- Cost: Some attorneys may charge a flat fee to handle your divorce case, while others may charge an hourly rate or additional fees for other litigation. You should ask about your potential Columbus divorce attorney’s cost up front and be careful about details.
- Specialty: Some divorces involve complex real estate holdings and debts. Others entail detailed child support or spousal support plans that can require specific knowledge to perfect. You should make sure you find an attorney whose specialties fit the specifics of your situation.
- References: Attorneys often refer cases to each other, and many attorneys know other attorneys who practice different areas of law. If you know an attorney in Columbus who doesn’t specialize in divorce, they may be able to refer you to someone who does.
Methodology
To come up with the Best Divorce Lawyers in Columbus in 2024, Forbes Advisor considered many factors. Forbes Advisor’s mathematical module considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area.
Within the model, we take into account factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:
- Legal experience
- Special licenses and certifications
- Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
- Legal thought leadership
- Education and employment background
- Scholarly lectures and writings
- Awards and honors
Forbes Advisor collects public data from a variety of sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. This information should not be considered comprehensive, however. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.
Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Bear in mind that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds but does not evaluate their personalities or their knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.
One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when going through a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns.
As Hard As Divorce Might Be, An Online Divorce Service Can Make It Easy
Let a professional, reasonably priced online divorce service help you with all matters pertaining to your divorce.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much does it cost to get a divorce?
You likely will pay at least a few hundred dollars in filing fees and other court costs if you pursue a contested divorce in Ohio. A good divorce attorney in Columbus may cost at least a few thousand dollars, but the actual costs can depend on the specifics of your cases and the work your attorney does. You should research filing fees in your county and talk to attorneys about their fees and other potential costs.
Who pays attorney fees for a divorce in Ohio?
You should expect to pay your own attorney fees for your divorce lawyer unless you can negotiate attorney fee payment as part of your divorce agreement. There is not a process for forcing one side to pay the other side’s attorney fees in a divorce in Ohio, but you may be able to recoup your costs through other negotiated payments.
How long do you have to be separated to get a divorce?
An uncontested divorce in Ohio can be granted if both spouses agree they’ve been living apart without cohabitation for at least a year. But the separation period is not a requirement because an uncontested divorce can also be granted if both sides agree they are incompatible.
