Dr. Judith Gerhart, CFP
Certified Divorce Financial Analyst 
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Is A Lawyer Really Necessary?
August 6, 2008
Often the answer is “yes”. Where else can you go to find out what your legal rights and respensibilities are? But after you get the answer to your questions if amy be possible for you to take care of the remainder of your divorce by yourself - possibly with just a little help.
In most cases spouses are able to work out the terms of their divorce without needing to ask a judge to actually decide anything. These are called uncontested divorces. They still involve a lot of necessary paperwork and court office staff are not able to do it for you or give you detailed help. Some are not even allowed to give you all the forms. But there are other options.
One is a do-it yourself divorce kit. You can buy one of these for about $30 at most bookstores or office supply stores. They give you the basic information you need along with the blank forms you will need to fill out. It will take some time to read through and figure out what they are telling you to do but it has the advantage of being the cheapest possible option.
An easier alternative is a little more costly, between $200 and $300, but stll much cheaper than hiring a lawyer. The Internet has several divorce document preparation services which wil send you all the forms you need, already completed and ready for you to sign. You just follow the instructions they provide to file the forms with the court office. Yes, this is more expensive than the kits but much easier and will save you a great deal compared with hiring a law firm.
By Howard MacKinnon
Posted by Judith Gerhart on August 6, 2008 | Permalink | Post a comment
Topics: Divorce, Finance, Tips |
August 17th, 2008 at 2:52 am
Actually, if you have kids, a lawyer is necessary.
A court will not grant you a divorce until it holds a hearing about child custody, where, although the interests of the parents are considered, the ultimate decision rests on the judge.
In that hearing, you need a lawyer to represent to the court how it’s in the best interests of the child to stay with you. You can’t do it yourself if you don’t know the law.
Albert Gurevich
http://www.gurevichlaw.com