Can You Manage A Divorce Without Hiring A Divorce Lawyer?

It is actually possible to get a divorce without an attorney. In doing so, you will make yourself Pro Se litigant. People become Pro Se litigant for a variety of reasons. Let’s first take a look at what these reasons are, before determining whether or not it is a good idea.

The majority of people for not hiring a lawyer is the inability to afford their fees. Even those people who have never had to hire the services of an attorney know just how expensive they actually are. Additionally, since most people cannot receive legal aid, it would seem to be cheaper to just stay together, at least on paper! A second reason is because the divorce is not contested in any way. If the couple have no children or assets, then there really is nothing a lawyer can do that the couple can’t do themselves. Lastly, there are those people who feel they have been mistreated or misrepresented by their attorney, and find that their own efforts would be more fruitful.

Are these reasons good enough? In general, it can be agreed that defending yourself is not a good idea. The first reason for this is that the law is a complicated area, one that lawyers have had to study for for years, and thinking you can do this yourself could actually be seen as arrogant. Most of the time, people wouldn’t even know how to complete and file the paperwork. Although it is certainly true that an attorney is expensive, it isn’t too difficult to come to an arrangement for a flat fee for their full service. In terms of an uncontested divorce, it is so easy for the couple to suddenly find something to fight over. Suddenly, out of the blue, you will find yourself arguing over who gets to keep the broken coffee mugs and who will take ownership over the 100s of VHS video tapes. And when couples reach this point, which they generally do, they will suddenly contest everything. Last but not least, those people who feel their lawyer isn’t delivering a good enough service, remember that all lawyers are different. Also do some soul searching: are you upset because you are not getting your own way, or because the lawyer is actually doing a bad job? It would be a much better idea to simply switch lawyers if you really are unhappy, which should cost no more than what you had already expected from the first lawyer. They don’t have to repeat the work their predecessor has already done, after all. Clearly, if you are going through a divorce, find a good lawyer to assist you in this.