A divorce may be granted in Wisconsin divorce law for the "no-fault" ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage, which can be shown by:

1. a joint petition filed by the spouses alleging this ground, or
2. living separate and apart for 12 months immediately prior to filing, with no possibility of reconciliation.

Annulment

In Wisconsin divorce law, the court declares the marriage contract broken; in an annulment, the court says that there never was a marriage. Annulment is much more difficult to prove -- and is much rarer -- than divorce. If you want to go this route, you will definitely need to speak to a divorce attorney. Of course, if you want an annulment for religious reasons, you'll need to consult with your priest, minister, or rabbi as well.

Documentation

You'll need to provide your divorce lawyer with the following documentation in order to proceed with your dissolution. Start gathering everything together as soon as possible so that you can find out what might be missing and submit any requests for duplicates.

Personal Data

• Full addresses and phone numbers of both parties.
• Full names, birth dates, and addresses of all children of the marriage, their school and grade.
• Information about any prior marriage of either spouse, including a certified copy of the divorce decree.
• A copy of any domestic contracts (e.g. a prenuptial agreement).
• Information about any previous legal proceedings between the spouses or involving any of the children.
• Dates and particulars about any previous separations, attempts at reconciliation, or marriage counseling.

Financial Data

• Your previous year's income tax return, and any related data from the IRS.
• Information about your current income, e.g. a current pay slip.
• A list of substantial assets and liabilities of both spouses.

On the right of this page, you will find a listing of family law attorneys. Be sure to visit these other pages to find out more about how best to work with a divorce attorney and to know more about Wisconsin divorce law.

• Read our Blog
• Join our Forum
• Read Divorce Articles
• Divorce FAQs videos
• Read our Divorce Professionals Blog
• Subscribe to Free Divorce eNewsletter
• Attend our Free Divorce Magazine Teleseminar

Listen to podcasts of previous TeleSeminars.