How do u file for divorce?

Saida

Saida

New Member
And how much does it cost? do you have to have a lawyer? is there any easy way to go about it?
 
I'm not sure. Hopefully someone can come in and help. My friend sought help from legal aid but I'm not sure why. I think she said she was abused.
 
The ease of getting a divorce depends almost totally on the couple and the state that they live in.
I'd suggest you start by looking up the divorce laws for the state that you are in.
 
It varies from state to state. Here in DE you don't need a lawyer and the fee to file is around $ 200.00. However, I have heard that in NJ you have to have a lawyer in order to file. My advise would be to check with the webpage of your home page to find out the details.
 
Qt. There is no need for counseling, were already islamically divorced, I just need the legal divorce to go through also :)
 
Saida said:
when it says 125$ an hour for a divorce lawyer what does that mean??
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for every hour that the lawyer works on your case, or has someone working on your case in his/her stead, they will charge you $125. They may do partial billing, like if they work 30 mins the will charge you for half, or they may not.
 
Saida said:
And how much does it cost? do you have to have a lawyer? is there any easy way to go about it?
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Try legalzoom.com. I always hear it on the radio. If the divorce is uncontested, then they can help you draft the paper work and then the divorce is binding.

Good luck to you both.
 
My EAP at work offers free legal advice, I contacted a lawyer through them and he told me that I could file the paperwork myself. Office Depot sells a do-it-yourself kit. However I found a lawyer that did the paperwork for $30 and I walked it to the court to file it and paid the filing fee $125. I live in Houston and we didn't have kids or property. If you're in Houston I can give you the lawyer's name and number.
 
I did my own divorce for $200. It helps to have a soon to be ex who is cooperating. No property nor children were involved. I am in PA.

I believe in most states you can get a divorce then sort out the property and children situation at different points in time. Most people like to do it at the same time though.
 
usually depending on the state you can file at your local clerks/tax collector's office. They should be able to give you more info..$125 an hour for a lawyer? I'm in the wrong business :lachen:
 
you probably need a lawyer.

A good lawyer will have the Husband pay the legal fees, so you'll walk away without expenses, and your proper share. Especially if you didn't work while you were married YOU NEED A LAWYER. they're going to give you papers and tell you to take them to your attorney to look them over anyway- and if you sign without doing that and later find out you could have gotten more, or he owes you this and that, tough noogies.

people always try to do it themselves, dont' get what they want, and then end up using a lawyer to clean up the mess.
 
oh and if you reaaaaly can't afford it,
most lawyers do a certain amount of (free) pro bono work a year.

contact your local bar and ask for a recommendation. the National Bar Association is one of black lawyers, call them or email and they can help you work something out.
 
laCriolla said:
you probably need a lawyer.

A good lawyer will have the Husband pay the legal fees, so you'll walk away without expenses, and your proper share. Especially if you didn't work while you were married YOU NEED A LAWYER. they're going to give you papers and tell you to take them to your attorney to look them over anyway- and if you sign without doing that and later find out you could have gotten more, or he owes you this and that, tough noogies.

people always try to do it themselves, dont' get what they want, and then end up using a lawyer to clean up the mess.
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I agree with this. The stakes are too high, IMO. My lawyer filed a motion for my exH to pay my legal fees because exH was drawing out the process and trying to delay things. Things can get tangled quick when someone files for divorce. Motions start flying left and right. IMO, the only way it is wise to do this without a lawyer would be if your soon-to-be ex is really an upstanding and trustworthy person who would never hurt you (in which case, you'd likely not be getting divorced) and if the two of you are amicably getting along. If you have any shared assets and if there is an issue of custody or spousal or child support, I would not recommend going the pro se route. Get an attorney. ESPECIALLY if you have claim to a portion of his retirement, you didn't work during the marriage, or there are outstanding debts in both of your names.
 
ThickHair said:
I did my own divorce for $200. It helps to have a soon to be ex who is cooperating. No property nor children were involved. I am in PA.

I believe in most states you can get a divorce then sort out the property and children situation at different points in time. Most people like to do it at the same time though.
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When I tried to do my divorce in Georgia. The judge told me that she would NOT grant a divorce if there was no child support order for our DD. It may depend on the state or even the judge. I'm glad we did it all at once.
 
i downloaded/printed the papers off the net...filled them out gave them to him...but he was a lil ***** behind it. Ended up having to go to a lawyer to have his punk *** served so i could get a quicky divorce in 20 days after i had him served. He quickly gave me the signed papers b/c if he did not he would have had to pay my lawyer fees and the filing fees, which was close to $500. But my mommie paid for my lawyer so he was lucky.

If he would have just signed the damn paperwork and had it notarized like a man instead of playing games it would have been like $90.
 
Ms_Delikate said:
When I tried to do my divorce in Georgia. The judge told me that she would NOT grant a divorce if there was no child support order for our DD. It may depend on the state or even the judge. I'm glad we did it all at once.
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I don't understand why because people have child support orders who have never been married. So why does it matter if the CS is figured out after the divorce? I guess you have to get the horse before you open the gate. IDK
 
ThickHair said:
I don't understand why because people have child support orders who have never been married. So why does it matter if the CS is figured out after the divorce? I guess you have to get the horse before you open the gate. IDK
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I don't either and I was sooo disappointed initially because I just wanted to get it done and over with...but in hindsight I am glad it happened the way it did cause it all worked out in the end.:yep:
 
I have a close friend who is going through a nasty divorce, and I would recommend you get yourself an attorney. Because you may think by doing it yourself is saving you money it could actually hurt you if he decidedes to reopen it, So I say do it right so you do not have to revisit this painful time in your life especially if you are batteling full custody. I always tell my clients if ever in your life, you need an attorney get the best one, your results will depend on it,
 
I know it's hard, but if you have children, you have to get what they deserve and what YOU deserve. - in reply to "he can have everything"
 
Do you want an attorney? Does he object to you having full custody. Will the divorce be uncontested by him? If so you can do it on your own. I did. I used www.completecase.com.

I decided on completecase because I wanted to make sure that my papers were prepared correctly.

I believe it was $250 for completecase plus the cost of filing and such was about $750
 
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[/QUOTE]He can have everything, all I want is full costody of the children "
[/QUOTE]

Saida, I happen to be an attorney and this is the steps that you should take

1) call your state court, ask them for an uncontested divorce packet.. ( It should have all of the documents that are necessary to file for a divorce in your state.

2) If your soon to be ex- disagrees with any of the terms of the documentation, in any way, you have to go to court... at this point, YOU NEED A LAWYER.

3) He probably will be required to pay child support. Some states will not allow you to get divorced until state regulated terms of the child support are met...


so.. start with the docs from the court.. If it gets too complicated, get an attorney.

There is no way that you can know all the rules of the game, if you haven't been trained as an attorney to do so, this is extremely applicable if you cannot agree on all terms of the divorce.
 
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