Louisiana is one of only three states in the country that offers a covenant marriage. In fact, it was the first day in the country to introduce the idea of a covenant marriage in 1997. Arkansas and Arizona are the only other two states that have adopted covenant marriage laws. These laws require that couples experiencing marital hardship take extra steps before they file for divorce.
The existence of two different kinds of marriage and more complicated divorce proceedings might actually play a role in all three of the divorce statistics explored below.
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Louisiana now has a very low divorce rate
Just a few years ago, news outlets reported that Louisiana had one of the highest rates of divorce in the country. However, in just a decade, the divorce rate dropped by more than a fifth. In Louisiana in 2020, there were 1.4 divorces for every 1,000 people residing in the state. That means that Louisiana was one of the states with the lowest overall divorce rates.
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How long divorce takes in Louisiana
Some couples who do not have children and who file for uncontested divorces can potentially finalize a divorce and as little as a few weeks. However, the average divorce in Louisiana takes substantially longer.
It’s common for divorces to require at least six months of patience, if not a year or longer in scenarios requiring litigation or involving minor children. Although some people claim to offer weekend divorce opportunities, realistically it takes some time to get from filing divorce paperwork to a judge finalizing your divorce.
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The average cost of divorce in Louisiana
It only costs a few hundred dollars to file paperwork with the Louisiana family courts, but it will cost far more than that to actually secure a divorce. The more time you spend in court and the more contentious the process becomes, the more you will likely spend on the end of your marriage.
Researchers estimate that a divorce in Louisiana will cost an average of $10,000, although that can vary drastically from case to case. Those who attend mediation or who push for an uncontested filing could potentially spend far less than that, while those who fight bitterly in court over every last detail could spend two times that much or more.
Statistics can give you an idea of what you can generally accept during a divorce in Louisiana, but they fail to consider the nuance of each individual family unit. Talking with an attorney is often an important step for those trying to figure out what they can expect from a Louisiana divorce.