Divorce, custody, adoption, alimony, paternity, protective orders — handled by attorneys who were raised in Ogden and who know Weber County's family court because we're in it every week.
Callback within 24 business hours. $100 for a one-hour consultation — credited to your retainer if we take your case.
We'll call you back within 24 business hours. $100 for a one-hour consult — credited to your retainer if we take your case.
Years in Weber County family court
Cases handled across Utah by our attorneys
Languages: English · Spanish · Portuguese
Nobody lands on a family law page because they're having a good week.
Maybe you've been thinking about a divorce for a year and you finally have to say it out loud. Maybe your ex stopped paying child support and your rent is due Friday. Maybe you just got served with papers you didn't see coming. Maybe a stepchild you've raised since they were two isn't legally yours, and you want to fix that.
Whatever brought you here: you don't need a lecture about the law. You need to know what happens next, who's going to help you do it, and what it's going to cost.
That's what this page is for.
There are two kinds of divorce in Utah: contested and uncontested. The difference is simple. If you and your spouse agree on everything — who gets what, where the kids live, who pays support — you can file an uncontested divorce and be done in about 45 to 90 days after Utah's mandatory 30-day waiting period. If you don't agree on something, it's contested, and it can take months to a year.
Most "uncontested" divorces come in believing they're uncontested and turn out not to be. That's normal. That's why a family law attorney does an intake call before anyone files — to figure out which one you're actually in.
Utah splits custody into two things: legal custody (who makes decisions — school, medical, religious) and physical custody (where the kids sleep). The number that matters most is 111.
Utah law says that for a parent to have joint physical custody on paper, the kids need to spend at least 111 overnights per year with them. Below that, you're on a primary-custody-plus-parent-time schedule. Above that, you're joint physical.
That number shapes almost every custody fight in this state — schedules, support calculations, relocation cases. It's also one of the first things we calculate at your consultation.
Utah uses a formula. The formula takes both parents' gross incomes, the number of children, and the custody arrangement, and it spits out a monthly number. You can look it up on the state's website.
But the formula assumes honest income reporting. If your ex runs a business and takes most of their income in "draws," or if they've suddenly "gotten laid off" the month before filing, the formula is no longer the answer — discovery is. That's where a lot of custody cases actually live.
If your ex stops paying, Utah's Office of Recovery Services (ORS) can garnish wages, intercept tax refunds, suspend licenses, and — in severe cases — pursue jail time for contempt of court. They're effective, but they're slow. Sometimes a private enforcement motion moves faster.
One important Utah rule that's easy to misunderstand: child support and parent-time are treated as separate issues by the court. Withholding parent-time because the other parent is behind on support is generally not permitted, and doing it can hurt your custody position.
For unmarried parents, establishing paternity is a prerequisite to custody and support orders. Utah recognizes paternity through a Voluntary Declaration of Paternity signed by both parents, or through a court order, often supported by DNA testing. Until paternity is legally established, the biological father may not have recognized rights regarding custody or parent-time.
Utah courts use seven factors (from the Jones v. Jones case, codified in Utah Code §30-3-5) to decide alimony:
Short marriages rarely generate long-term alimony. Long marriages where one spouse stayed home to raise kids almost always do. Most Utah alimony orders last no longer than the marriage itself.
Before most contested divorces go to trial, Utah requires mediation — a neutral third party helps both sides try to settle. Mediation works surprisingly often, even in cases that feel impossible at the start. It's cheaper, faster, and keeps your life out of a public trial.
Utah uses a single state-court system, so the process below is largely the same statewide. In Weber County, family cases are filed in the Second Judicial District Court. Here's the actual sequence:
The case is officially open.
The other side gets the papers, usually through a process server.
The other side has 21 days (30 if served out of state) to file an Answer.
If you need custody or support right now, a commissioner hears the motion within a few weeks.
Both sides exchange documents and financial disclosures. Often the longest phase.
Required in most cases before trial.
Most cases settle. Some don't.
The court issues final orders. It's done.
The full arc can run anywhere from 30–45 days (uncontested with agreement) to 6–18 months or more (contested, depending on the parties, discovery, complexity, and litigiousness). We tell you which end you're closer to in the first consultation.
Jaime is the patient explainer — and a strategic fighter when the case calls for it. He'll walk you through the process without making you feel stupid for asking the same question twice, and he'll fight hard when needed: when another attorney dropped the ball, when the other side is running up your clock with discovery games, or when you've been told to expect an outcome you're not willing to accept.
To better address our Hispanic community, three other attorneys at the firm — Kevin, Carl, and Roy — speak Spanish. Jaime speaks Portuguese. Consultations happen in the language you're most comfortable in, not through a translator.
A divorce is never a comfortable situation, but with Jaime as my attorney it was less stressful and easy to understand. I got everything finalized without a hassle. I highly recommend this firm to anyone dealing with a divorce or custody situation.Tyler C.
Jaime has guided me through a difficult child custody and relocation matter. He has been very transparent and honest throughout the entire process, which has been very reassuring during a stressful time. Jaime will be my attorney for life!Lacee M.
I hired Jaime in a child custody case. From our first meeting to mediation he answered every question without judgment and let me know exactly what to expect. I couldn't be more pleased about the outcome. He genuinely cares and wants to help.Christina H.
Real, unedited reviews from our Google Business Profile. Every case is different — past results don't guarantee a similar outcome.
Kevin helped lay out a plan to get majority custody of my kids and get back into my house. By following his advice I was able to keep on track and not get drawn in to my ex's drama games.Dirk
Kevin and his firm has always been responsive to my needs. He was instrumental in ending a divorce that my previous attorney let drag on for years.Bill
Kevin and Jaime are different — they actually cared about my case and helped me understand the best way to proceed.Evan B.
After your first consultation, you'll typically see the next three steps spelled out. We aim to never ask you for a retainer until there's a plan in front of you.
Our goal is to get back to every inquiry within one business day, and usually faster during regular hours. We track it as a team.
You'll know the rate before any hour is billed, and any estimates are written. We work hard to keep invoices predictable.
We'd rather refer you to an attorney who fits your matter than take a retainer we can't earn well.
If something significant shifts on your case, you'll hear from someone on your team — usually the same day.
$100 for a one-hour consultation. Credited to your retainer if we take your case.
Schedule a Consultation →Sometimes no. If you and your spouse genuinely agree on everything, don't have kids, don't own real estate together, and your finances are simple, you can file the paperwork yourself through Utah's online divorce portal. If any of those conditions aren't true, the $100 consultation is cheaper than a mistake on the decree you'll have to re-litigate later.
Only with the court's permission or the other parent's written agreement. Utah's relocation statute is strict — if you move without either, you can lose primary custody. If you have a legitimate reason to move (job, family, safety), we help you file the motion the right way.
Utah requires a 30-day waiting period from when you file. After that: an uncontested divorce with a written agreement typically wraps in 30 to 90 days. A contested divorce can run from 6 months to 18 months or more — the actual timeline depends on extenuating circumstances, case complexity, and the litigiousness of the parties.
Two options. The Office of Recovery Services (ORS) can garnish wages, intercept tax refunds, and suspend licenses — free, effective, but slow. A private enforcement motion is faster but costs attorney fees. Often we do both in parallel.
Legally, less than people think. Utah is a no-fault state. But fault does matter for alimony — "fault contributing to the divorce" is one of the seven Jones factors. And if marital money was spent on the affair, that can affect property division.
A simple uncontested divorce is generally handled on a flat fee — we tell you the number before you sign anything. Contested divorces are hourly, with written estimates at each phase. All rates are disclosed in writing at the consultation. Nothing gets billed that you didn't agree to.
Yes. Jaime speaks Portuguese, and three other attorneys at the firm — Kevin, Carl, and Roy — speak Spanish. We regularly handle cross-cultural and multilingual divorces, including cases with parallel proceedings abroad. Consultations happen in the language you're most comfortable in.
We're based in Ogden and take family-law cases across Weber, Davis, Box Elder, and Cache counties — and the surrounding Utah counties within roughly a 100-mile radius. We've handled cases as far as Salt Lake County, Provo, and Park City when the matter warranted it.
The strategist. Kevin takes the cases that have gone sideways — another lawyer dropped the ball, the other side is running the clock, or you've been told to expect a bad outcome and you're not willing to. 35 years in Weber County courts, federally admitted for immigration matters.
Read Kevin's bio →
The explainer. Jaime is who you call when you need to actually understand what's happening — a divorce you want to keep civil, a custody matter handled with a steady hand, an estate plan that actually fits.
Read Jaime's bio →
The former prosecutor. Carl spent years as a Dawson County, Nebraska prosecutor before building his defense practice. He reads a case file the way he used to write one.
Read Carl's bio →
An attorney at Richards & Richards, working alongside the team across the firm's practice areas. Full bio coming soon.
Meet the team →A $100 consultation with us is an hour. You walk in with a problem. You walk out with a plan — and if we're not the right firm, a direction to the one that is.
We'll call you back within 24 business hours. Consultations available in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.