Cherry Hill, New Jersey · Camden County
Uncontested Divorce in Cherry Hill, NJ
If you and your spouse already agree, you do not need a two-year fight and a $20,000 retainer. You need the paperwork done correctly. Flat fee: $1,500.
Most people who call me about an uncontested divorce have already done the hard part. They have talked it through, they know who is keeping the house, they have a plan for the kids, and what they actually need is someone to turn that into documents a New Jersey court will accept — without billing them by the hour to do it.
That is what a flat fee uncontested divorce is for. It is not a lesser version of a divorce; the judgment is identical. What is different is that nobody is paying two attorneys to argue about facts everyone already agrees on.
The short version
$1,500 flat attorney fee, including a marital settlement agreement if one is needed. Court costs are separate: $300 to file the complaint, plus $25 for the parents' education program in applicable cases involving children. No hourly billing, no retainer, no surprise invoice.
Is your divorce actually uncontested?
"Uncontested" is a technical term, not a mood. It means you and your spouse agree on every issue in the case:
- How marital property is divided — the house, retirement accounts, vehicles, bank accounts
- How marital debt is divided
- Alimony: whether there is any, how much, and for how long
- If you have children: legal and residential custody, a parenting time schedule, and child support
- Any other loose ends — health insurance, life insurance, tax filing status, name change
If you disagree about one of these, the case is contested until that item is resolved. That is not a disaster and it does not mean you are headed for trial — most gaps close in mediation — but it does mean the flat fee for a fully agreed case is not the right starting point.
Two things people underestimate: retirement accounts frequently need a separate court order to divide, and an agreement that is silent on something (who claims the children on taxes, what happens when one parent moves) creates the argument you will be having in two years. A cheap agreement that omits things is not cheap. I wrote about that here: why you shouldn't get a cheap New Jersey divorce.
Where a Cherry Hill divorce is filed
Cherry Hill is in Camden County. This trips people up, because Cherry Hill borders Evesham (Marlton) and Mount Laurel, which are in Burlington County — a different vicinage with a different holiday parenting schedule. A Cherry Hill divorce is generally filed with the Family Part in the Camden Vicinage, at the Camden County Hall of Justice, 101 South 5th Street, Camden.
More on how a Camden County case is handled, what the court charges, and what happens after filing is on the Camden County divorce page.
In a settled case, the practical answer is usually that nobody appears anywhere. Administrative Directive #01-25 allows uncontested judgments to be entered on the papers, with the required certification, without a personal appearance.
How it works
- We talk first A consultation to confirm the divorce really is uncontested, that New Jersey's residency requirement is met, and that nothing in your situation makes a flat fee the wrong structure. If it is not a fit, I will tell you that instead of taking the fee.
- You send the details Marriage date, separation date, children, assets, debts, and whatever you have already agreed to. Written notes are fine; you do not need to arrive with a document.
- I draft the settlement agreement A marital settlement agreement that puts your terms in language a court will enforce and that covers the items informal agreements usually miss. You review it, we revise it, your spouse reviews it — ideally with their own attorney.
- Complaint filed The complaint for divorce is filed with the Camden Vicinage on grounds of irreconcilable differences. No fault allegations, nothing embarrassing on a public docket.
- Service handled cooperatively Your spouse acknowledges service. No process server at anyone's workplace.
- Judgment entered The settlement agreement and required certifications go to the court, and the Judgment of Divorce is entered — typically without either of you appearing.
How long it takes depends mostly on two things you can control — how fast the two of you finalize terms — and one you cannot: the court's calendar. I will give you a realistic estimate at the consultation rather than a number designed to get you to sign.
If you have children in Cherry Hill
Cherry Hill parents negotiating a parenting schedule should read the Camden County holiday schedule before agreeing to anything, because the court routinely orders parties to follow it and it overrides your regular schedule:
- The Camden County NJ holiday parenting time schedule
- Parenting time schedules NJ judges commonly approve for school-age children
Cherry Hill's school calendar, bus schedules, and the practical reality of moving children between two homes in a township this size matter more to a workable schedule than any template does. A schedule that looks fair on paper and fails every Tuesday is not a good schedule.
Common questions
Can you represent both of us?
No. No attorney can represent both spouses in a divorce — the conflict is structural. I represent one spouse and prepare the paperwork. Your spouse can proceed without counsel or have their own attorney review the agreement. I recommend the review; it costs relatively little and makes the agreement harder to attack later.
What if we agree on almost everything?
Very common. A single open issue — usually alimony or one account — is normally resolved in mediation for a fraction of what litigating it would cost. I also serve as a mediation review attorney for people who have mediated and want the agreement checked before signing.
Do I have to prove my spouse did something wrong?
No. Irreconcilable differences requires only that differences have caused the breakdown of the marriage for six months and that the marriage should be dissolved. Fault grounds exist but rarely improve the outcome, and they usually raise the temperature and the cost.
What if my spouse stops cooperating halfway through?
Then it is no longer uncontested, and we would talk about how to proceed and what it would cost before any additional work happens. You will not receive a surprise hourly bill because the case changed shape.
Is a $1,500 divorce too cheap to be any good?
A fair question to ask any lawyer. The fee is low because an agreed case is genuinely less work — not because the documents are thinner. Everything I draft is drafted to be enforceable. What I will not do is quote a flat fee for a case that is not actually agreed, which is how people end up with cheap paperwork and expensive problems.
Ready to get it done?
Tell me a little about your situation and I'll tell you honestly whether a flat fee uncontested divorce fits.
Request a Consultation- Sources:
- N.J.S.A. 2A:34-2(i) (irreconcilable differences) and 2A:34-10 (residency)
- New Jersey Judiciary court filing fee schedule
- NJ Courts Administrative Directive #01-25 (uncontested judgments without personal appearances)
This page is general information about New Jersey law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Flat fees cover attorney fees only; court filing fees and other actual costs are billed separately at cost. Whether a flat fee applies to your matter depends on its facts and is confirmed before any engagement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.