Joint Petition for Divorce - No Lawyers

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
Joint Petition for Divorce - No Lawyers
2
Sat, 03-19-2005 - 5:07am

I'm wondering if anyone else has ever gone through the experience of getting divorced, just going through your local family court division, filling out the necessary forms? I'd love to hear about how things went. My court date is less than 10 days away now, and I'm just wondering what exactly is going to happen. My STBX and I don't have money for attorneys, and even though I am the one who wants the divorce, he has been cooperative in giving me what I want.

I saw the other posting for the "do it yourself divorce", and I'm not using any kind of "Kit". When all of this started, I contacted the local family court division (state of New Hampshire), and asked what needed to be done to get divorced without attorneys. They told me my STBX and I could fill out a Joint Petition for Divorce, which basically means we're in agreement on the action to be filed. We do have a 14 year old daughter, a home (which I'm keeping), a vehicle (which I'm also keeping, along with the payments), and he and I have already divided up all of the other stuff.

The Joint Petition form was just required basic information be filled out, it had to be notarized (which we did at the bank), and then I brought it back to the court along with my filiing fee, which was $147 dollars - that's it. The court date in 10 days is with a Case Manager who will go over all of the information we've filled out in the Financial Affidavits we've each filled out, so that Child Support is determined (although that has already been covered because my STBX is and has been on Social Security Disability for a long time, so my daughter gets her own check each month) and who gets what is split up legally. We don't even have to go in front of a judge. The meeting is supposed to take about an hour. As long as nothing is contested, I've been told by the court that that will be it - the documents will be done and all we have to wait for is the final signed off documents from the judge to come through.

So, has anyone else out there done their divorce this way? I need some advice on what to expect at the Case Manager's meeting, which is really my "final court date".

Suzq

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2005
Sat, 03-19-2005 - 7:11am

I wish I could help you on this one. I don't know much about doing this without lawyers. Mine was done with my attorney, I filed. My XH did not have an attorney towards the end of the divorce. He did it on his own without representation.


Good luck to you.


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 03-19-2005 - 1:21pm

I don't have any experience with that... but just be sure that whoever is reviewing the documents has some legal background and makes sure that all of the legal bases are covered.


Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~