Attorney or Paralegal?

How To Get A Fast, Affordable Divorce

When your marriage is no longer working out, and both of you feel miserable with the relationship, you might agree that getting divorced is the best option. A divorce is something that will end the marriage legally, and there are multiple ways to go about getting divorced. If you are agreeable with each other on all issues, the most affordable way to go about doing this is through a do-it-yourself divorce, and here are a few things to know about this.

It Requires Filling Out And Filing Paperwork

Almost any legal action a person may want or need to take is something a person could do on his or her own; however, there are many situations when hiring a lawyer for help is the best option. If you feel competent handling a divorce yourself, and if you and your spouse are agreeable, you could attempt to do this on your own. To begin, you would need to file a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage with your local courthouse. In addition to filing this document, you would also need to file a marital settlement agreement and any other documents required in your state.

After you file the correct documents, you will need to give copies of these documents to your spouse. If you and your spouse have agreed to the divorce and the division of marital assets, then you can complete these documents together. It is also important to know that only one spouse needs to file the documents to initiate the divorce proceedings.

There Is A Waiting Period In Most States

When you have filed everything and served the documents to your spouse, the waiting period begins. This is often referred to as the cooling-off period, and it is designed to give both spouses a little bit of time to really think through this decision to make sure it is what they really want. While there are some states that do not have a waiting period, most do, and this period might be a couple of months or an entire year, depending on the state.

The Judge Finalizes The Divorce

As long as you are both still agreeable on everything when the cooling period ends, you will be able to go to court and receive the finalization of your divorce from the judge. The judge will review everything to ensure that it is legal, and will ask both spouses questions about the agreement and the divorce.

If you can get divorced with this method, it will be a lot cheaper, but this method does not always work well for couples. Many couples cannot agree with each other on how to divide things, and that is why most couples end up hiring a divorce lawyer for help.


Share