Divorcing parents with minor children in Utah are required to take the divorce education and orientation classes.

Divorcing parties without minor children may benefit from attending the divorce orientation course, but are not required to take it. The course takes about one hour.

The stated purpose of the orientation course is to educate the parties about the divorce process and reasonable alternatives. Utah Code Section 30-3-11.4 (1).

A person filing a petition for divorce (the petitioner) must take the class within sixty days of filing the petition. The party served with a petition for divorce (the respondent) must take the class within thirty days of being served with the petition.

Interestingly, although a party may file for temporary orders without taking the orientation course, the Court may not hear temporary orders until the party seeking them has taken the orientation class. I have previously discussed temporary orders in a post on June 23rd, 2014.

The only exception is temporary restraining orders, presumably because of their urgent nature. This material should not be construed as legal advice for any particular fact situation, but is intended for general informational purposes only. For advice specific to any individual situation, an experienced attorney should be contacted.