Contested Divorce

When It Can’t Be Resolved Quietly, You Need Someone Prepared.

Contested divorce is hard. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and the conflict takes a real toll on everyone involved, especially children. We go into every contested case having exhausted every reasonable path to resolution first. And when the fight is unavoidable, I’m ready for it.

What “Contested” Actually Means

A divorce becomes contested when the parties can’t reach agreement on one or more key issues:

• Division of marital property and debts
• Custody arrangements and parenting time
• Child support
• Spousal support (alimony)

You don’t have to disagree on everything for a case to become contested. One unresolved issue is enough to put the case before a judge. In Tennessee, contested divorce cases are required to go through mediation before trial. If you’ve reached that point, or if mediation didn’t produce an agreement, I’m prepared to take the case to court.

Strategy Before Escalation

I don’t approach contested cases by escalating automatically. More conflict means more cost and more time, and in cases involving children, it typically means worse outcomes.

Before taking any aggressive position, I evaluate what’s actually achievable, what a court is likely to decide, and what the most direct path to resolution looks like. If negotiation or mediation can produce a fair result, that’s the play. When it can’t, when the other party is being unreasonable, when your rights are genuinely at risk, when your children’s wellbeing is on the line. I fight hard and effectively.

What Contested Divorce Actually Costs

Most people walk in focused on attorney fees. That number is real, but it is not the full cost.

Time. A contested divorce in Tennessee can take 12 to 18 months, sometimes longer, when key issues remain unresolved. That is 12 to 18 months of instability for your children, sustained conflict in a co-parenting relationship that doesn’t end when the case does, and legal proceedings occupying significant mental bandwidth during an already difficult period.

Emotional cost. Contested litigation escalates hostility between parties. Whatever relationship existed before, and your children have a relationship with both of you, takes real damage in a prolonged fight.

Cost to children. The research on this is consistent. Children in high-conflict custody proceedings show measurable effects: anxiety, behavioral changes, academic disruption. I watched this happen for years before I ever walked into a courtroom, as a child myself, and as a probation officer. The families who fought the hardest didn’t win. Their kids paid for years.

This is not an argument against fighting. Sometimes fighting is exactly what the situation requires. I’ll tell you honestly when that’s true.

It is an argument for going in with clear eyes, and making sure the choice to contest is genuinely in your family’s best interest, not just your worst day’s instinct about what it should cost your spouse.

What the Process Looks Like

Every contested divorce is different. Timeline, cost, and complexity depend on the specific issues in dispute and whether the parties eventually reach a negotiated resolution. What you can expect from me:

• A clear, honest assessment of your position from the start
• Regular communication throughout, no guessing about where things stand
• Preparation you can see. I come to every negotiation and hearing ready
• Honest advice when a settlement offer is in your best interest, even when it’s not what you hoped to hear

PRICING: Contested divorce is handled on a retainer basis, with retainers starting at $3,500. Final cost depends on complexity and how quickly the parties reach resolution. I’ll walk you through a realistic estimate in your consultation.

A couple of things on cost: court filing fees are separate from my fee, the court sets those and they vary by county, so I’ll give you a realistic picture for yours. And if paying up front is tough, we offer payment plans through Affirm (subject to credit approval). Either way, call the office or schedule a consult below and we’ll walk you through it.