Temporary Orders

Divorce cases can take months or even years to resolve. During that time, life goes on: bills need to be paid, children need to be cared for, and both spouses need to know the rules they're expected to follow. Temporary orders address this gap — they create a legally binding structure for the period between filing and the final divorce judgment.

Common temporary orders include: a temporary custody and visitation schedule for the children, a temporary child support amount, a temporary spousal support payment, orders about who stays in the marital home, prohibitions against selling or dissipating marital assets, and orders about maintaining existing insurance policies.

Temporary orders are issued at a hearing early in the case, sometimes within weeks of filing. They typically remain in effect until modified or until the divorce is finalized. Often, the arrangements established in temporary orders end up closely mirroring the final divorce agreement — which is why taking them seriously from the start matters.

Temporary orders set the status quo during your divorce, and the status quo is powerful. Once established, it can be difficult to significantly change arrangements before the final judgment — courts are reluctant to disrupt stability. Getting temporary orders right — especially for custody — is important because they often become the template for the final arrangements.

Violating temporary orders has real consequences. Spending down joint bank accounts, taking children in violation of a temporary custody order, or failing to pay temporary support can be used against you in the divorce proceedings and may result in sanctions from the court.