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"We all know that divorce is no picnic, and varying state laws can make it an even more onerous process. You can pull up a hundred links on the internet and get a hundred different opinions on the best and worst states for divorce, but recently, researcher made a solid effort to quantify those results. Attorney Bruce Provda of Provda Law Firm in New York was kind enough to pass this information along so that I could share it with my readers. Recently, researchers gathered statistics and data from Bloomberg, the US Census Bureau, state bar associations and state legislature websites. Five variables were reviewed and assigned point values. The variables were: filing fees, minimum separation period, length of residency, waiting period (after filing), and minimum number of days for entire procedure. Based on this data, the seven worst states in which to get a divorce, are: Nebraska - With a filing fee of $157.00 and 420 days to process the divorce Nebraska easily ranks in the top of the worst states to get a divorce. A year&amp;#039;s residency is required, which is followed by a two-month cooling off period.  New York - The Big Apple makes the list by combining a filing fee of $335 with a minimum processing time of 360 days. New York requires a marital &amp;quot;breakdown&amp;quot; of six months, but does not require physical separation. And according to attorney Bruce Provda, New York also boasts the highest percentage of contested divorces in the country. California - $395 and 360 days to process the paperwork will get a divorce in California. The state also is the only one of the fifty-states that requires a six-month &amp;quot;cooling-off&amp;quot; period after filing.  Arkansas - Arkansas filing fee of $165 is affordable, but has a minimum processing time of 540 days (the longest processing time in the country). There is a mandatory 18-month period of separation and any co-habitation during that period will reset the clock. South Carolina - South Carolina requires a minimum of one-year separation before even filing for divorce. Residency in the state is required, with a minimum of three months for couples when both live in the state. If only one party lives in South Carolina, then the residency stretches to a year.  Rhode Island - Rhode Island cuts the filing fee back to $120, but hands out a minimum processing time of 510 days. Even after filing, there is a long &amp;quot;cool down&amp;quot; period with another five months.  Vermont - In Vermont, couples must live completely apart during the mandated six-month separation period. A year&amp;#039;s residency is required before the divorce will be granted and then there&amp;#039;s a three-month &amp;quot;decree nisi&amp;quot; period to go through before the judge&amp;#039;s approval is absolute. How did your state rank? If you live in one of these seven states, did you find your divorce process to be especially arduous, due to state laws and limitations? [Ellie DeLano is the author of David And Me Under The Sea: Essays From A Decade With Autism, and also blogs at SingleMomtism.com. You can follow Ellie on Facebook and Twitter]  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/relationships/dating-marriage/a48822/seven-worst-states-for-divorce/>