A Stipulation & Order is a document you can use to draft agreements either before your divorce is finalized (to obtain temporary orders pending the final judgment in your divorce) or after your divorce is finalized to modify or change some term of your final judgment in your divorce.
To stipulate to something means you are in agreement with your spouse regarding the temporary orders or modification of orders.
Example Of How A Stipulation & Order Works
Let’s say that you are in the middle of your divorce and it will be several months before your divorce is finalized. And let’s say you wanted to move out of the house, but you needed to show income for purposes of renting a place. Most landlords will not accept an agreement or divorce judgment unless it has been signed by the judge. In this case we could draw up a stipulation and order for spousal support.
A Stipulation & Order can be an agreement for just about anything. And when people call me and tell me they want to go to court (For A Request For Order) I always start out by asking if there is any chance of them coming to an agreement out of court, before filing a motion. If you are able to come to an agreement out of court it is always more cost effective and easier to draft a Stipulation & Order instead of going to court.
We have prepared 100’s of Stipulations & Orders over the years for just about everything. If you think you and your spouse are able to come to an agreement about temporary orders or to modify existing orders then a Stipulation & Order would be ideal for you.
If you don’t think the two of you can come to an agreement then filing a Request For Order would be necessary.
Give me a call to discuss your situation so we can determine the best course of action.