Unbundled Divorce Services

What does this package include?

• Civil cover sheet
• Confidential information sheet
• Complaint for Divorce
• Summons
• Affidavit Of Service
• Waiver Of Service
• Standing Restraining Order
• Proposed Divorce Decree
• Directions to the courthouse
• Instructions for service of pleadings
• List of information that needs to be stated at the hearing
• Disposition sheet

What do I do with these documents?

• Pick up your documents from us.
• Review documents carefully.
• Sign the Complaint for Divorce.
• Take the civil cover sheet, confidential information sheet, Complaint for Divorce, Summons, and Standing Restraining Order to the courthouse for filing.

After the Civil Cover Sheet, Confidential information sheet, Complaint for Divorce, Summons, Standing Restraining Order have been filed, you will need to follow the instructions on the sheet titled How to Serve.

After the documents have been served on the opposing party or opposing counsel, they will have 30 days to file an answer.

• If they file an answer, your case has become contested.
• If they do not file an answer in 30 days and will not sign your proposed divorce decree, you will need to set a hearing date and notify the opposing party or opposing counsel of that hearing date.
• If they sign the proposed divorce decree, you will still need to wait the 30 days required for service, before you request a hearing date for an uncontested divorce.

If this is a divorce with children, and the opposing party does not file an answer, you will need to serve that person with notice of the hearing.

The law requires that person to have at minimum 20 days notice of the hearing, according to Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure 6, which means they must be served with the Notice of Hearing early enough for that person to have 20 days prior to the hearing date.

How do I know who my judge is?

When you file the initial documents (Civil Cover Sheet, Confidential information sheet, Complaint for Divorce, Summons, Standing Restraining Order) you can ask the Clerk which judge your case was assigned to or you can lookup your case on the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) website.

To use the AOC, you can go to http://www.pulaskiclerk.com

• Click on Court Records (5th one down in the list on the left side of the homepage)
• Then on the next page, click on Search by person name, business name, or case type
• Click Accept on the next page
• Enter your first and last name in the designated boxes and click submit.

If your results come back with hundreds of results that do not pertain to you, then try setting the case type to 14 Domestic Relations and select the county you filed in and submit the query again. This should help narrow your results to the case you are looking for.

Once you find your case, you judge will be identified under the Case Parties section.

How do I find the judge’s phone number?

When you are ready to set the hearing, you will need to call the judge’s office. You can find the judge’s office phone number on the Arkansas Judiciary Website.

My spouse signed a decree. What do I do now?

If you have waited the 30 days since the opposing party was served, you may call the judge’s office and request a hearing date.

What do I need for the hearing?

You will need a witness that can confirm that you have been a resident of that county for at least 60 days prior to filing for divorce and who is familiar with your grounds for divorce. You will need your proposed divorce decree signed by you and the other party, or just signed by you if the other party failed to file an answer.

What happens at the hearing?

At the hearing, you and your witness will need to appear before the judge. You will tell the judge all the information in the At The Hearing Sheet, and ask your witness the questions from that sheet. The judge may ask you some additional questions, just answer those questions the best you can.

The hearing is over and the judge signed the divorce decree. What do I do now?

Congratulations! You’ve made it through. Now you will need to take the signed divorce decree to the Court Clerk for filing along with the disposition sheet.
Once these documents have been filed, Congratulations, you have completed the process and are now divorced!