Divorce & Dissolution
A court proceeding that resolves what spouses cannot agree on.
In Ohio, a divorce is a civil lawsuit filed in the Domestic Relations Division of the Court of Common Pleas. One spouse — the plaintiff — files a complaint stating grounds, and the other spouse responds. From there, the court has authority to decide every disputed issue: property division, debts, spousal support, allocation of parental rights, parenting time, and child support.
Ohio recognizes both fault and no-fault grounds. The most common no-fault ground is incompatibility or living separate and apart for one year. Fault grounds include adultery, extreme cruelty, gross neglect of duty, habitual drunkenness, and several others codified in Ohio Revised Code §3105.01. Most modern Ohio divorces proceed on no-fault grounds because they are faster and avoid unnecessary courtroom airing of private conduct.
You must have lived in Ohio for at least six months and in the county where you file for at least ninety days before the court can hear your case. Ryan handles these residency questions at the very first consultation so nothing derails your filing.
When you agree, dissolution is faster, quieter, and less expensive.
A dissolution of marriage is Ohio's cooperative alternative to divorce. It is available only when both spouses can agree on every term — division of property and debts, spousal support, and any parenting arrangements — and reduce that agreement to writing in a Separation Agreement signed before filing.
Once the petition and agreement are filed, the court schedules a hearing between thirty and ninety days later. Both spouses appear, the judge confirms the agreement is fair and voluntary, and the marriage ends that same day. There is no discovery, no temporary-orders hearing, and no trial.
Done correctly, a dissolution can resolve a marriage in roughly sixty days for a fraction of the cost of contested litigation. Done carelessly, the same agreement can leave one spouse exposed to financial surprises years later. Ryan drafts each Separation Agreement with the same precision he would bring to a courtroom — because the document is the order.
The thresholds the State of Ohio sets.
The fundamentals every Franklin County filing has to meet before a judge will hear the case.
You must have lived in Ohio at least six months before the court has jurisdiction.
You also must have lived in the filing county for at least ninety days.
After both spouses file an agreed petition, the court hears the case within this window.
One of Ohio's most common no-fault grounds is one year living separate and apart.
Equitable does not always mean equal.
Ohio is an equitable-distribution state. That means the court divides marital property — anything acquired during the marriage, no matter whose name is on the title — in a way the judge considers fair under all the circumstances. Most of the time that produces a roughly equal split, but not always. Length of the marriage, each spouse's economic position, the desirability of awarding the family home to the parent with primary care, and any retirement, pension, or business interests can all shift the outcome.
Separate property — assets one spouse owned before the marriage, inheritances, and certain gifts — stays with that spouse, but only if it has been kept traceable. Commingling separate funds with a joint account or using inherited money for a marital home can convert it into marital property unless careful records survive.
Ryan works with forensic accountants and pension valuators when the case calls for it, and prepares the Qualified Domestic Relations Orders required to divide retirement accounts without triggering tax penalties.
Fourteen factors. One outcome that has to make sense.
Unlike child support, Ohio has no formula for spousal support. Ohio Revised Code §3105.18 lists fourteen factors the court must consider, including each spouse's income and earning ability, the duration of the marriage, the standard of living established during the marriage, the age and physical condition of each spouse, the time and expense needed for the lower-earning spouse to acquire education or training, and contributions to the other spouse's career.
A short marriage between two working professionals will likely produce no support at all. A long marriage with a stay-at-home spouse will almost always produce some — the harder questions are how much, for how long, and whether the amount can be modified later. Ryan prepares spousal-support arguments backed by income documentation, expert vocational evaluations where appropriate, and clear narratives that put the statutory factors in context.
Don't decide your next step alone.
A confidential conversation with Ryan can tell you where you stand, what the realistic outcomes look like, and whether you need an attorney at all.
The custody decisions in a divorce shape years that follow it.
When a divorce involves minor children, the court must allocate parental rights and responsibilities — Ohio's formal name for custody — and set a parenting-time schedule. The legal standard is the best interest of the child under Ohio Revised Code §3109.04, which directs the court to weigh the wishes of the parents, the child's relationships, the mental and physical health of everyone involved, and the willingness of each parent to support the child's relationship with the other.
Parents who can agree often submit a Shared Parenting Plan that names both as the residential parent and legal custodian and sets out a detailed schedule. Parents who cannot agree leave the decision to the judge, sometimes with the help of a Guardian ad Litem who investigates and reports to the court. Either path benefits enormously from preparation — calendars, school records, and an honest accounting of who has been doing what.
Ryan handles these cases with the long-term well-being of the children kept squarely at the center.
Two narrower paths, each with its own consequences.
A legal separation lets spouses live apart and obtain a court order resolving property, support, and parenting — without ending the marriage. It is the right tool when religious convictions, immigration status, health-insurance coverage, or the prospect of reconciliation makes a final divorce undesirable. The grounds for legal separation in Ohio largely mirror the grounds for divorce.
An annulment is different in kind. It treats the marriage as if it never legally existed, and is available only in narrow circumstances — bigamy, incompetency, fraud going to the essence of the marriage, force, or marriage of someone under the age of consent. Annulments are rare and have to be filed promptly after the disqualifying condition is discovered.
Ryan will tell you honestly whether either of these alternatives fits your situation, or whether a conventional divorce or dissolution remains the better choice.
What to expect from filing through final entry.
No two cases follow the same calendar, but most contested divorces in Franklin County and surrounding counties move through a recognizable sequence.
Filing & Service
The complaint is filed, the other spouse is served, and the case is assigned to a judge and magistrate. Temporary restraining orders often issue automatically.
Temporary Orders
Within weeks, the court holds a hearing on temporary support, parenting time, and use of the marital residence while the case is pending.
Discovery & Negotiation
Both sides exchange financial affidavits, account statements, and tax returns. Most cases settle once the documents are on the table.
Trial or Final Hearing
Issues that remain in dispute are tried to the judge. The court enters a final Judgment Entry that ends the marriage and binds both spouses.
One attorney. Every call, every hearing, every document.
Ryan opened his Columbus practice in 1997 and has handled family-law matters in Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, and Union counties ever since. There is no associate who takes over after the first meeting and no paralegal speaking on his behalf. When you call the office, you reach Ryan.
That structure makes the work better. The attorney who hears your story is the same attorney who drafts the agreement, sits beside you at the temporary-orders hearing, and stands at the podium if the case goes to trial. Continuity is not a luxury in a divorce — it is what keeps the strategy coherent.