If you’ve arrived at this article, most likely, you are thinking about initiating divorce proceedings, or you have already dealt with some legal aspects of divorce. Statistics indicate a disappointing trend associated with the number of divorces in the United States. Unfortunately, in recent decades, marriage dissolutions, along with legal separations between spouses, have become commonplace.
A person finding themself in a life situation associated with taking desperate steps to dissolve their family life with their spouse is often demoralized. At the same time, the party that acts as a petitioner in a divorce case has to make harsh and possibly uncomfortable but necessary decisions. Filing for divorce is, in any case, stressful for all participants in the process. Therefore, the search for mechanisms that could simplify the process is normal and expected.
When managing a divorce, you have to make many important decisions. Which divorce format is right for your situation? Will you be able to conclude an agreement in person with your spouse, or will you need the participation of a third party? Which method should be used to serve the divorce documents? Which divorce attorney to contact for advice? Do you need legal assistance, or can you manage your case as a do-it-yourself divorce on your own?
Today, divorce law in the United States allows various formats for filing for divorce. The most popular of which does not require communication between the parties and lawyers at all. This makes sense as the need to hire lawyers to handle a divorce case is one of the main reasons why spouses postpone or slow down divorce proceedings. Most clients are reluctant to cooperate with legal institutions because of the costly hourly rate charged by lawyers for legal advice.
At the same time, this simplified attorney-free form of getting a divorce has some specific obligations and still requires the preparation of divorce papers. Therefore, not every divorce case can do without attorneys.
In this article, we will look at the key pros and cons of working with divorce lawyers vs. using ancillary online divorce preparatory paperwork services. We’ll determine which cases are appropriate and permissible to use these special applications and when it is impossible to save money on the services of lawyers.
When is a Paid Divorce Lawyer Appropriate?
The main task of divorce lawyers is to systematize the process and ensure communication between applicants and legal authorities, primarily the local court. The range of services provided by divorce lawyers is quite extensive. According to the experts at https://kk-attorneys.com/family-law/divorce/, the service can be as simple as no-asset matters to as complex as marital estates valuations. It can include individual consultations with each of the parties, selecting the proper forms and preparing the necessary paperwork, and assisting with negotiations on behalf of the client with the other party.
In cases where the choice of the divorce format is between no-fault divorce and guilt-based divorce, your lawyer will help you formulate the grounds for divorce to work more effectively with the court. Most likely, you will need to resort to the services of a third party and legal assistance if you cannot communicate with the second party and have no chance of independently influencing the situation to turn it into an uncontested divorce format.
Getting an Uncontested Divorce: What Are the Benefits?
In most cases, divorce law in all US states allows the so-called do-it-yourself format for divorce. This format assumes that one of the spouses independently manages the course of affairs, prepares the documents, negotiates a settlement, and communicates with the court and county clerks. That is, independent management of the divorce proceedings without an attorney is possible and permissible. However, this requires at least qualifying the divorce case as uncontested.
The uncontested format of the divorce process implies the mandatory existence of a mutual pre-divorce agreement between the spouses. This free-form document often includes a compromise on all points that could cause legal disputes, claims, or disagreements between the parties in the future. Traditionally, this agreement covers the division and distribution of joint property, child custody, alimony, and other financial obligations.
One spouse will act as a petitioner or plaintiff, and the other becomes the respondent or defendant, but so long as it is uncontested, it can move through court quickly and with minimal effort. Only the absence of any claims and recriminations between the participants will allow the divorce to be an uncontested and no-fault one. And as such, the court will be required to declare your application acceptable for consideration, and you can safely refuse the services of lawyers, instead opting to use an online divorce service.
Key Reasons to Choose an Online Divorce
Those refusing the services of lawyers and opting for a DIY divorce can use special online divorce services to prepare the paperwork. Such web divorce applications and websites are not a panacea for all possible difficulties with the process. Still, it can help the client save money and greatly simplify preparing divorce documents for filing for divorce. In the end, it is more affordable and often faster than cooperation with attorneys who perform similar functions.
Indeed, online divorce services are mainly used by those looking for inexpensive methods of filing for divorce. But they also save valuable time and help avoid the difficulties of selecting and completing the necessary forms.
All divorce papers are generated based on information provided by the user in an online questionnaire. The service then provides the user with a full package of documents for filing for divorce that meets all court requirements for a moderate fee.