Knoxville Divorce Lawyer
Experienced Family Law Lawyers Focused on Saving Your Family
A good divorce lawyer will help you end the bad marriage with a good divorce – one that will help you and your family begin a new and better day. Our lawyers help families in the greater Knoxville area plan for their post-divorce futures, dealing with child custody, child support, property division, and alimony.
People are usually sad, afraid, and angry when this journey begins. That’s why watching our clients in Knoxville become independent, strong, and happy people at the end of the divorce is among the most rewarding moments of our job. A divorce may be one of the most emotionally and financially difficult experiences in your life.
Nevertheless, judges are flooded with divorce cases. When you get to court, a Judge is simply interested in getting four questions answered quickly, completely, and efficiently.
Schedule your consultation by calling our law office at (865) 685-4780 or completing our quick and easy contact form.
What You Need to Know Before Beginning the Divorce Process in Knoxville
Question #1: Is there going to be a divorce?
The answer is “Yes.” But there are two kinds of divorce in Knoxville: irreconcilable differences (or “agreed”) divorces and fault-based divorces.
Irreconcilable Differences Divorces
To have an agreed divorce, you and your spouse must agree on everything from who gets the house, to who gets the retirement account, to who gets the kids, to who gets the dishes. Chances are, if you had the ability to agree on that level of detail, at the beginning of a process you barely understand, you would not be getting a divorce in the first place.
Therefore, most divorces begin as fault-based.
Fault-Based Divorces
This is simply a divorce where you acknowledge that not all issues are resolved, and you ask the Court to resolve anything you and your spouse are not able to work out during the process.
In Tennessee, there are many grounds for divorce, including:
- Impotence
- Adultery
- Imprisonment
- Alcoholism or drug addiction
- Pregnancy by another at the time of marriage without husband’s knowledge
- Willful desertion for one year
- Bigamy
- Endangering the life of the spouse
- Conviction of an infamous crime
- Abandonment for two years
- Cruel and inhuman treatment
- Indignities that make the spouse’s life intolerable
Question #2: Who gets what stuff?
Property division can be tricky. For instance, it does not matter whose name something is in. Half of it belongs to the other spouse. Regardless of the circumstances of the divorce, or who made the payment, half belongs to the other spouse.
There are some exceptions, but in general, this is how you can calculate what you will take away from the divorce:
- Make a list of everything you and your spouse have bought during the marriage (assets) and figure out its current value. This includes your house, cars, retirement accounts, boats, campers, guns, jewelry, large appliances – basically, everything that’s worth more than $1,000 should be included. Add all the values together.
- Next, make a list of all your debts – things like student loans, credit cards, mortgages, IRS debts, and car loans. This does NOT include things like utility bills, telephone bills, and things that you pay every month. Debts are things that you have some hope of actually paying off someday. Add all those values together.
- Subtract the total amount of your debt from the total value of your assets, and you get a number. This number is called the “net value of the marital estate.” Take this net value, and divide by 2, and you get what the court initially presumes to be the value of what you are going to take from the marriage.
Question #3: What will we do with the kids?
Deciding what to do with children is almost always the most emotionally difficult and financially challenging aspect of a divorce to resolve.
By statute, Judges are supposed to “maximize the participation of both parents in the life of the child.” Many judges interpret this language to mean that the default setting is for the child to spend equal times with both parents – but read it again. “Maximum participation” is not “equal time.” It’s quality time, not quantity, that counts.
At Held Law Firm, you’ll see our divorce lawyers focus much more on getting you the “good” time than we will spend on getting you the “most” time.
You can learn more about child custody and support here.
Question #4: Will there be ongoing support?
Once the property division and parenting plan are resolved, the only remaining issue is whether one party needs to give the other party periodic payments. There are two types of this “ongoing support”: child support and alimony.
Child support is easy. You take the number of days each parent gets, according to the parenting plan, each parent’s income, who pays what for health insurance for the kids, who pays what for daycare for the kids, and whether either parent has any other kids to support. You plug all those numbers into a Child Support Worksheet.
It will calculate who pays who what, and very rarely is there anything to argue about.
Calculating alimony is less simple than calculating child support, which is why it is important to hire a capable and competent divorce lawyer.
Our job at Held Law Firm is to make sure you don’t pay too much if you owe it, and that you get what you deserve if you are going to receive it.
Don’t Start This Journey of Divorce Alone
Our Knoxville divorce lawyers have been working side by side with families looking to get their lives back since 1998. With our exceptional knowledge of the law and more than 50 years of combined family law experience, there’s no case too tough or complex to take on.
Give Our Lawyers Serving Knoxville a call at (865) 685-4780 to schedule your case assessment.
testimonials
Hear About Former Clients' Experiences-
“Newer to the Knoxville area and looking for a law firm to help us set up our will. Melanie Hogg, with Held Law Firm, came highly recommended and have to say the reviews were right. Melanie was ...”
- A. Witte -
“Held law firm went above and beyond to help me with a case they don't normally do. I appreciate how dedicated they are to helping make sure the case goes well. I couldn't have had a better attorney ...”
- J.A. -
“Margaret and her staff make you feel very welcome from the beginning. Everyone in the office makes a difficult process a lot easier to go through. She and her staff are kind, thoughtful, patient, ...”
- J.W. -
“After interviewing almost every attorney in downtown Knoxville and finding them to minimize and plan to use a cookie cutter approach to my case I was deeply relieved to find Held Law Firm. They are ...”
- L. F. -
“Margaret Held was excellent help with obtaining information on my divorce. She knew exactly what she was talking about and I feel confident that they are one of the best lawyer offices in Knoxville!”
- K. M. -
“Short Version: Melanie and Chelsea are a force to be reckoned with and thank God they were on my side. Do yourself a favor and go with them. **Worth the read if you are searching for a Lawyer** Long ...”
- R. F. -
“From the day I walked in the office, I was greeted like family. The attention, the hard work and the team effort that Held Law has given me will forever be appreciated. I highly recommend Held Law to ...”
- J. L. -
“Chelsea Price exceeded expectation with our case of step parent adoption. I highly recommend her for adoption cases. She was professional, accurate, and timely in completing everything that needed to ...”
- Ashley C. -
“Ms. Held helped me turn around a complete nightmare situation. She was creative with problem solving and was not afraid to step in and get things done.”
- Bethany T. -
“This is a firm that truly cares & will literally have your back & encourage you through the tough times!”
- Alicia U. -
“I wanted to find a firm who could help me obtain a quick, affordable divorce and Held provided just that. All members of their team were extremely responsive and informative. Never did I feel out of the loop or confused and I always felt comfortable asking”
- Brittany H. -
“I am so grateful to her because now I have a signed court order clearly defining visitation with my grandchild, which had previously been denied. I believe that without Margaret this would not have happened.”
- Debra I. -
“At no time did anyone at the firm take any action on my behalf without first having a conversation with me and getting my approval. While I hope I never have to go through a divorce again, I know I'd gladly seek their assistance again. In fact, if I ever n”
- Kevin F. -
“Melanie was great! She provided excellent assistance and eased our concerns throughout the process. She arranged a virtual hearing for us so we could still have a court date even as in-person meetings ...”
- Tammy R. -
“Very professional, extremely reasonable with fees, and most of all they truly care about their clients.”
- Pamela H. -
“Kudos to this law firm for being straight up with their clients - hard to come by these days!”
- Amy F. -
“Another great aspect of Held Law Firm is how comfortable and welcoming they are so you don't feel anxious. The atmosphere and vibe makes you feel right at home and so welcomed.”
- Sandy H. -
“They know the legalities and how to do their jobs well, and they provide individualized service based on their client's needs. Excellent!”
- Barbara J. -
“This is my family's future, and it's the only chance I have to make it right. With my entire family's future hanging in the balance, Margaret has given my case the attention and effort it deserves.”
- Devon C. -
“Melanie and her team at Held Law Firm were efficient and informative during my recent divorce settlement. Melanie was courteous and listened to my many questions.”
- Sandra B. -
“I would not look for another law firm to handle any of my attorney needs.”
- Stefan T. -
“The Held law firm is staffed with only the best and they will fight for you in court. They cleaned up a mess made by our previous attorney, and got our case moving forward. Margaret has the experience and skills to get you the best results possible.”
- Darrel W. -
“I really appreciated that they were so responsive to my needs, and made sure that I had realistic expectations. There were no surprises here. They didn't let my ex push me around and were there for me every step of the way, always making time to explain to”
- Faith B.
Why Hire held law firm?
"There isn't a better group in Knoxville"-
When You Hire One Attorney, You Hire the Entire Firm
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A True Passion for Standing Up for What's Right
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Our Goal Is for Every Client to Leave on Cloud 9
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Actively Involved in Improving Our Local Community
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A Team of Fearless Trial Attorneys
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Over 50 Years of Experience in Family Law
