If you have worked with a mediator to come to agreement then the mediator should provide you with a written document detailing the terms of your agreement. One of you can hire a lawyer to incorporate that agreement into the other documents required by the court and draft all other documents necessary for filing.
If you have already been working an attorney to negotiate a settlement then that attorney can prepare the other documents required by the court for filing.
There will be several documents for both of you to sign. When the papers are filed with the court the filing will be “uncontested.” That means you are not asking the court to decide any issues for you. You are only asking the court to enter a Final Judgment and Decree of Divorce.
In Georgia, the court can enter the Final Judgment and Decree of Divorce any time 31 days after the Acknowledgment of Service is filed. The Acknowledgment of Service will be one of the documents the lawyer prepares and files. So, roughly a month after your paperwork is filed with the court you can expect for your divorce to be final.
You won’t know whether you will have to appear in court until you find out which judge will be handling your case. Some judges don’t require parties to appear in court in uncontested cases unless there are minor children involved. Other judges require the parties to appear in every case. If you do have to appear, the hearing will be short and the judge will likely finalize your divorce at the hearing.
