My Divorce is Simple, Can I Do It Myself?
August 1, 2013 | Elizabeth A. SchadingUnfortunately, rarely is there such thing as a “simple” divorce. Problems can arise both during the initial divorce process and after the divorce as circumstances begin to change.
For example, let’s say you and your spouse have already agreed on a visitation schedule. That’s great!
However, you could leave out things that could become severe points of contention later. For example, you might forget to specify who gets the child for the holidays.
Because you used DIY divorce forms there may be nothing in the divorce decree which addresses this issue one way or another. Suddenly you and your ex are caught up in bitter fights about Christmas and Thanksgiving, with no resolution in sight and one spouse perhaps holding an unfair advantage over the other.
Now, if you’d like to fix the issue and nail down the matter of holidays you’ll need to go right back to a divorce lawyer, attend mediation or file the matter with the courts, and get it resolved the right way. Fixing your mistakes will end up costing you far more money than simply getting the job done right the first time.
We’re not just telling you this because we’re attorneys. We’ve seen these kinds of problems again and again. It’s always easier, quicker, and less expensive to file your divorce the right way the first time.
Because you aren’t legally trained there may be omissions or oddities of the language that could trip you up. Your divorce paperwork could look fine to you now, only to contain serious hidden pitfalls later.
We understand that inexpensive, online DIY divorce forms are enticing, especially when the expense of the divorce seems like one big, expensive, scary unknown factor. We also understand that you probably want to get the whole thing over with as quickly as you possibly can.
If you live in the Minneapolis metro area and you’d like to find out more about divorce, call Barna, Guzy & Steffen!