Can I file for divorce without a lawyer?
We understand that representing yourself in family court can be a bit overwhelming and may seem impossible. But you can’t file for divorce without a lawyer. On top of everything, not knowing where to start can heighten the already stressful state you might be in. That’s where Access Legal comes in. You’ve got enough on your plate, so our job is to help make completing the paperwork you need as painless as possible. But the buck doesn’t stop there. We’ve created an entire library of free documents and informational resources to help you navigate the process.
Family law involves a wide range of legal issues including divorces, paternity, child custody, modifications, and plenty more. While Access Legal is not a law firm, we can help you with the paperwork for all of these issues. Furthermore, we appreciate the value of legal advice and can help you get in touch with a qualified attorney if you’d like help beyond the paperwork.
To make things a little less complex, we can break down a family law case into five parts.
5 Stages of a Family Law Case
1. The Initial Document Drafting phase is where the parties prepare the documents that get the ball rolling. These documents mainly include: petitions, responses, and temporary order requests.
2. The Resolution Management Conference allows the Court to assess which issues the parties agree on and which issues need to be set for trial. Additionally, Temporary Orders Hearings can be requested to address issues that must be decided quickly.
3. The Discovery phase is where both parties can obtain evidence from each other.
4. The Trial Preparation phase involves the identification of evidence and witnesses, preparation of pre-trial statements, negotiations, and settlement proposals.
5. The Trial/Hearing is where evidence is presented, witnesses are examined, and arguments are made.
As you can see, each stage builds on the previous one. For example, if you do not collect any evidence during the Discovery phase, or you do not properly identify that evidence as an exhibit in the Trial Preparation phase, it will be difficult to use good evidence to make strong arguments at the trial/hearing. For this reason, it is important to take the process seriously from the get go.
Access Legal has created a unique and low cost approach to help self-representing litigants like you tackle the paperwork for each part of your case. Access Legal combines the expertise of legal document preparation with technology. It is designed to provide you with an affordable way to customize legal forms to fit your specific situation and interact with professional legal document preparers.
You can be successful in your family law case by using Access Legal Docs.