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A Connecticut divorce divides everything you and your spouse own, not just the accounts that carry both of your names. The house on your street. The retirement account you have been funding for 20 years. The business you built side by side. What you keep depends less on what feels fair and more on how the next few months are handled.
When it comes to divorce cases in Stratford, we start from an unusual vantage point. Our founding attorney’s legal career began inside the very courthouse that still decides Stratford divorce cases today, the Bridgeport Superior Court. That firsthand view of how judges actually rule carried through years later when he took a client’s contested divorce case all the way to the Connecticut Appellate Court.
As your Stratford divorce lawyer, we put that same insight to work on your case, whether the finish line is a signed agreement or a judge’s decision. That kind of experience is what turns a settlement offer into an outcome you can actually build on. Contact us today to discuss your divorce case.
| CT Bar Member Since 1997 | 4.6★ Google Reviews | Collaborative Divorce Team of CT | Appellate Court Case Experience |
We do not hand your case off to a rotating cast of associates. If you retain our firm, our founding attorney personally handles your case from the first conversation through the final decree. When court appearances keep him out of the office, our paralegal takes your message, and he returns the call himself, the same business day in nearly every case.
Attorney Cuddy has practiced family law in Connecticut since 1997 and is a listed member attorney with the Collaborative Divorce Team of Connecticut, so if mediation or collaborative divorce fits your situation better than a contested case, that option is on the table too, not just litigation. You will always know exactly who is handling your case, because it is always the same person.
That kind of continuity is what held up when one of our cases was tested on appeal. In Anderson v. Anderson, Attorney Cuddy represented the divorced spouse, defending the trial court’s financial orders after the opposing side challenged:
The retirement accounts in dispute were worth $95,643.97 and $29,326.67, and the two sides valued the outside property at $55,000 and $9,690. The Connecticut Appellate Court reviewed each of the 4 claims and let the judgment stand exactly as written.
These are the same kinds of numbers most Stratford divorces come down to: a retirement account, a property value nobody agrees on, a support figure one side thinks is too high, and ours held up under direct challenge.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case.
Stratford divorces rarely involve just one issue. Most families need help sorting out several of the following at the same time.
Whichever of these applies to your situation, the plan starts with a clear picture of what you actually have and what you actually need.
Connecticut divides marital property under Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-81, and the court can consider almost everything either spouse owns, no matter whose name is on it or when it was acquired. That includes the house, a 401(k) or pension you have been building for 20 years, and even a retirement account you started before the wedding.
A lot of Stratford couples built what they have while working in Bridgeport, Milford, or New Haven, which means pensions, deferred compensation, or stock plans tied to an employer outside town are common and easy to underestimate if nobody tracks them down. If kids are part of the picture, custody and parenting time get decided separately from the property, based on what the court finds is in their best interest, not on who earned more or whose name is on the deed.
Connecticut is also a no-fault state, meaning you do not have to prove your spouse did anything wrong to get a divorce.
Our founding attorney has practiced family law in Connecticut since 1997 and has carried a divorce financial dispute all the way through the Connecticut Appellate Court, where the property and retirement division were upheld. Every marriage is different, but that courtroom experience shapes how we prepare your case from the first meeting, not just if it ever reaches a hearing.
Cost depends heavily on how much you and your spouse agree on before you start. A divorce resolved through negotiation or mediation usually costs far less than one that ends up contested in front of a judge. Filing carries a court fee, but the real cost driver is how many issues you and your spouse can settle without a fight. We can give you a realistic range once we understand what is and is not agreed on.
An uncontested Connecticut divorce with no major disputes can be finalized in as little as a few months. A contested case involving custody or complicated property, filed through the Bridgeport Judicial District, commonly takes a year or longer. We will give you a realistic timeline once we understand what you and your spouse actually disagree on.
The majority of Connecticut divorces settle without ever reaching a trial. Our founding attorney is trained in collaborative divorce and mediation, but he will tell you plainly when your situation calls for litigation instead, so you are never pushed toward a process that is not right for your family.
Before anything gets filed, our Stratford divorce lawyer wants to know what you actually have and what actually matters to you about keeping it. The retirement account, the house, the time with your kids. Tell us where things stand right now, and Attorney Cuddy can tell you plainly what you’re up against and what a realistic outcome looks like, the same way he would for any case that ends up in front of a Stratford judge. Contact us today to start the conversation.
One call is all it takes to find out where you actually stand. Reach the office at 203-513-8642, or send a message and we will respond promptly. If getting to Shelton is difficult, ask — Attorney Cuddy accommodates schedules and can arrange to meet you.
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The Law Offices of James A. Cuddy, LLC 525 Bridgeport Avenue, Suite 201, Shelton, CT 06484
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