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Guide on How to File for a Divorce

Many people are interested in doing a divorce as they don’t want to be burdened with expensive legal fees when hiring a lawyer. Do it yourself divorce is feasible in circumstances where the divorce is easy to settle. However, you will need to hire a divorce lawyer if the divorce becomes complicated. This usually involves issues on property transfers, custody, and child support. If you don’t want to hire a lawyer for the long term, you should at least seek legal consultation for one time to find out your rights.

When You Don’t Need a Divorce Lawyer

You don’t need a divorce lawyer if the divorce will be uncontested. You and your spouse have agreed on all the terms together in an amicable manner with no objection whatsoever so there is no need to hire a lawyer to defend your right. Most of the time, people who file for uncontested divorce are only married for a short time and they don’t have children. Usually, both are also employed and have no problem supporting themselves so no need to file for alimony to get money to cover your expenses. You don’t feel anything about the divorce and are fully yourself without any down time that affects your mental and emotional strength. Filing a divorce requires perseverance and attention to detail so having your full mental and emotional strength is important. Get more details on divorce attorneys near me free consultation.

When You Need a Divorce Lawyer

You will need to seek help from a family law attorney if you are facing problems with your divorce. You are being abused by your spouse and you are afraid that you will be severely injured before the divorce is settled. The lawyer can draft a temporary restraining order for your violent spouse and help you to move to a safe place. Your spouse can bring kidnapping charges against you if you did not obtain a temporary restraining order from the lawyer. You don’t trust your spouse and believe that he is keeping you from knowing money he has hidden in other banks that he never tells you. Your spouse has hired an attorney so you should also hire your own attorney to match with him. The divorce involves arguments on the custody of the children, property division, and repayment of debts.

Preparation of Documentation

To obtain a clear evaluation, you should prepare all the required documentation prior to going to see the lawyer in a consultation. If you don’t know what document to bring, you can ask those who have gone for consultation with a lawyer before. You should start gathering all the required documents as early as possible. Doing so will make it easier for you to double check for missing documentation and submit requests for extra copies. You will need to prepare proof of marriage which is the marriage certificate. If your marriage certificate is in foreign language, you must have it translated to English. You also must prepare the proof of separation which shows that you and your spouse have been separated for at least 1 year. In addition, you also have to produce proof that you have made arrangements to ensure the children are taken care properly.