Free Do It Yourself Divorce

Divorce Papers > Do It Yourself Divorce > Free Divorce Do It Yourself Divorce

A divorce can become a financial problem for most couples, as it involves court fees and attorney fees that can go up to millions of dollars. Sometimes, people lose their savings, and have to sell the assets in order to cope up with the expensive demands of a divorce procedure. Therefore, spouses thinking of divorce, search for the alternatives that can provide a cheaper, and simple divorce. Free do-it yourself divorce is one of such options that reduces the expenses of obtaining a divorce.

Free do it yourself divorce involves only court fees. It does not mean that a divorce is going to be entirely cost-free. But, most of the expenses get reduced in this method as the forms are downloaded from the websites, and submitted in the court by you without for the need to paying the attorney.

General Procedure for Free Do It Yourself Divorce

• Those individuals who have decided to apply for a divorce must bear in mind that each state in the U.S. has varied regulations for divorce. Hence, the first step is to search on the Internet for the regulations of the concerned state, and become conversant with it.

• Now, it is time to procure the relevant divorce forms. This can be done without spending a dollar and by using the Internet. There are a number of websites that allow downloading divorce forms for free.

• While browsing these forms, you will find that for different kinds of divorces, there is a different packet of forms. For example, if a couple has no children or one child or multiple children, they need to download a different set of forms.

• The divorcing partners must sit together and talk regarding the various divorce issues. They must reach a consensus regarding all the divorce issues. Some of the issues are, distribution of assets and debts, child custody and child support etc.

• Now, the divorcing couple must fill all the divorce forms. Wherever demanded, the divorcing partners must put down their signatures.

• Some forms need to be notarized. This can be done through the services of a notary public. This step might demand some expense in the form of fees for the notary.

• The divorcing partners must make copies of all the divorce forms. Both the Plaintiff and the Defendant must prepare a personal file for record, which contains all these copies. It is very essential to handle these documents carefully as they are the authorized divorce documents.

• Now, the Plaintiff must call the city hall or search the local phone book in order to find the address of the county or parish clerk's office. On doing so, the Plaintiff must carry a file containing all the divorce documents and approach the office.

• The clerk in the county or parish clerk's office would file all the divorce documents. The next step is that this clerk schedules a court date for the case. If the divorcing couple has child or children, the clerk plans an additional custody court date. Alternatively, this clerk may direct the Plaintiff to the Family Court. The clerk in the Family Court decides a court date for the case. This step also comprises of payment of filing fees by the Plaintiff. Each state has computed different filing fees.

• The Plaintiff must remain present in the court on the date and time reserved for their case. The Plaintiff must carry all the forms with them to the court. In a mutually agreed divorce, it is expected that both partners make their appearances in the court at least once.

• In the court, the Judge may ask some questions that need to be answered by the Plaintiff. The questions are related to the marital fault, efforts taken to solve the conflicts, nature of disputes between the partners, and property matters.

• Eventually, the judge makes a ruling about the divorce. The final decree of divorce is issued, which contains the orders about the issues related to divorce. Such orders are mandatory on the partners.

Precautions to be taken while opting for Free Do It Yourself Divorce

It is very necessary that the petitioner is aware of the kind of divorce forms before downloading them. Often, the websites are not reliable, and do not display any authentic information regarding a divorce, and the state laws. Thus, care has to be taken while checking the divorce forms and downloading them. Also, the forms should be notarized by a local authority before submitting them in the court.

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