What is DIY Divorce?



In a DIY divorce, the concerned person is required to represent himself or herself in the divorce case without the help of a divorce lawyer. There is a plethora of information on the Internet, which makes it very easy for the divorcing person to file and fill his or her own legal forms. However, with the increasing popularity of DIY divorces, many DIY divorce companies have come up that help the couples not only file and fill their forms but also offer professional advice as and when the couples need it.

Why is DIY Divorce Getting Popular?

The main reason for DIY divorces getting popular is the cost of divorce. The fee charged by most of the divorce attorneys is so high that many people are not able to afford their services at that cost. Even if some people can afford this fee, they do not think that they should be spending that much money on a divorce.

With the advent of the Internet, everything that we need to know about is just a click away. We search the Internet for our health problems to jobs, famous holiday destinations, and restaurants. It is easy to find huge amount of information on any topic of your choice. People have started using this information to their advantage.

Due to the information age, even the attitude of people reflects a more self-reliant behaviour. Therefore, while traditionally people would have only relied on expert knowledge to guide them about their health or money, people these days acquire the expert knowledge via the Internet very easily and become experts themselves. This self-reliant attitude has made people more comfortable sitting at their homes and researching the Internet about divorce-related material rather than physically going to the divorce lawyer's office that may be miles and miles away.

What Does DIY Divorce Entail?

DIY divorce requires the divorcing couple to fill in and file their own forms. These forms can be obtained from a court's office or can be downloaded as various websites provide these forms. If you and your partner have been staying separately for a year, you will have to ask your spouse to sign the consent form. You will need to send the completed forms and the marriage certificate, along with the other documents pertaining to your case to the local court.

The court will send the copy of the divorce application to your partner and your partner can object to it if he or she wants to. The procedure can be greatly simplified if your partner does not object. However, if your partner objects to the divorce, DIY divorce will not be a good idea. If your partner does not object, the court will consider your divorce application and will revert back to you.

Things to Keep in Mind While Choosing a DIY Divorce Company

• You would want maximum professional guidance from the DIY divorce company so make sure that they have enough professional lawyers onboard who can help you with your queries.



• The company representatives should be able to explain the divorce process in a simple language devoid of legal jargons.



• Ask for previous success stories. How did they help the clients? Were the cases always simple or have they dealt with complicated divorce cases as well?



• Ask for approximate time limit for the entire divorce process. Are their any variations in this time limit?
  
  
• Does the company provide online as well as personal service? You may want to opt for a company that provides both because there might be times when you would want personal assurance about the success of your case or you may have something that you need to discuss face-to-face. One can never undermine the success of personal interaction in tough times.



• What help do they provide when it comes to form filling and filing? Will you need to collect these forms from their office or will they deliver these forms at your doorstep? Do you need to go to court personally? Ideally, the company should fill the forms for you and you need not go to court unless it is absolutely necessary.



• Most importantly, ask for the total costs. How much can the actual bill deviate from this cost? Be careful of companies that incorporate a lot of ?ifs? and ?buts? in their talk.