I did this once. I want to describe my experience with the hope that it saves needless expense and worry. Like so many people, I was overwhelmed by how much money and time divorce seemed to require. And as with so many people, once I started looking into it, I discovered that this impression was wrong.
The typical divorce is a case of two lawyers playing the game of how to rip you off. What if it didn't have to be that way? In my state a "Legal Separation" is very cheap and simple, and if things go sour it's easy to convert it into a divorce. Here's what I did.
Can I file for divorce online or do I need a lawyer?
If you're getting a divorce, you probably want a lawyer. Or do you? I didn't. In fact, I've never met someone who needed a lawyer for their divorce. While we can't change the system until it's convenient for them, you can ignore it until it is.
I've made the process of divorcing much easier and more affordable for my clients. I didn't have to create a new field of law or do anything as drastic as that. I just created a simple guide for people who are going through the same thing.
Divorce is a huge, protracted, expensive, and emotional process. It has become intolerably painful for millions of people. In the US alone, divorce costs over $50 billion per year. Yet it doesn't have to be that way. As recently as the 1960s, most states allowed people to get divorced by filing a simple form, without a lawyer. There was no complex paperwork and no contested court hearings.
The book "Divorce without Lawyers" by Burton Beerman had a significant effect on my life. I read it as a law student and was deeply affected by how much the common legal system discouraged discussion and understanding of the problems. I read it again after starting my own law practice in 2003. The book's arguments against common divorce practices have since been confirmed by the experiences of thousands of people who tried to untangle their families' lives outside of court.
Divorce law is not just extraordinarily complex and, in most of the United States, badly out of date; it has been designed to be unintelligible to lay people. To help you navigate around this minefield, and get more of your assets without paying for an expert, there are some books that can help.
This essay describes how Amber and I got divorced. We did it without lawyers or courts. We wrote up our agreement, signed it digitally, had a coworker witness it, then sent the PDF to a printer for hard copies. That's it. No lawyers, no court involvement, just us.
If you are thinking of how to file for divorce in Washington state, you will need to decide how to handle some details such as the division of property and debt. Then you can answer questions like: How long will it take? Can I afford it? What is the upside and the downside? If you're going to get divorced without a lawyer, the first and most important thing you should know is this:
How to get a divorce without paying lawyer fees?
If you and your spouse can no longer get along the best thing to do is not even try to stay married, rather divorce. To do so, and without hiring a lawyer, get these four things in place.
People in the United States are able to divorce on their own if they can show a judge online that they can navigate online legal websites without assistance and are organized enough to file all the necessary documents. They must, however, still show up in person to the courthouse to deliver certain papers and do other things in person.
What if you could divorce without a lawyer? There are only two reasons to use a lawyer: cost and complexity. If those two aren't issues, won't you want to handle the divorce yourself?
You can divorce without a lawyer. How hard is it? Harder than with one, of course. But it's not illegal or immoral. The process is expensive, if you use lawyers, and ugly, if you don't. But it's merely difficult and unpleasant.
Is it possible to get divorced without paying a lawyer?
You can get divorced in Washington without hiring a lawyer, but it is complicated and takes effort. If you are willing to spend the time (and pay the filing fee) you can do it yourself. I went through the process and so should be able to give some fairly useful tips.
The rise of online divorce resources has debunked a great many myths about how the courts view divorce. No longer is it necessary to consult a lawyer for legal advice, as there are numerous online resources that can answer even the trickiest of legal questions relating to divorce. In many cases, you don't even need to file anything with the court – though you should really consult your attorney before proceeding without filing anything just to be on the safe side.
My soon-to-be-ex and I were able to settle out of court, making it possible for her to retain custody of our daughter and me to keep my assets. Not only did we not need a lawyer, but we didn't even need witnesses. Most couples who use this method are able to peacefully split up their property and their relationship without lawyers of family members as witnesses.
People who want to get a divorce but don't want to hire lawyers or go through the court system can do so quickly and easily, and usually at a cost of less than a thousand dollars. It's probably the case that half of all divorces in America now go this way.
You and your spouse have just decided to end your marriage. It's not a surprise: you've been working toward this moment for months, if not years. You have power of attorney for each other so you can handle any immediate big issues like getting health care coverage or arranging for the kids. You're considering lawyers just to clean up the loose ends of property settlement and custody. Then you discover that in most states you don't need lawyers to get divorced.
If you have had conflict with your spouse, or are considering ending a relationship, you might want to consider divorce without a lawyer.
Going through a divorce can be complicated, time consuming and expensive. Sometimes you don't have the resources for an attorney or simply don't want. Here are some things to understand and options to pursue if you are considering 'divorce without a lawyer'.
If you want to divorce your spouse without a lawyer, here are the steps I took to make it happen:
What are the forms I need to fill out and how long will it take to get divorced? What do I do with all my stuff during my divorce? The answer is that it is possible to get divorced without lawyers if you have a very simple uncontested divorce.