Legal Question in Family Law in California

You don't have to have an attorney, but I would not use a paralegal. I can't tell you how many times I have encountered clients who really messed themselves up listening to a paralegals advice, and it actually ended up saving them no money because of the time I had to spend cleaning it up!

If you have no assets and no children, then you may be able to use the family law facilitator's office at your local county superior court. Otherwise, I would not recommend going in on your own.

You can do your own simple divorce with a good "how to" book and help from the "Self Help" or "Family Law Facilitator" office in your local family court. I prefer "How to Do Your Own Divorce In California" by Nolo Press, of all the self help books out there. If you have anything that you are going to fight over, however, doing it yourself is a mistake. No one other than an attorney can legally help you with a divorce, other than helping fill out papers. As Ms. Ellifritz said, anyone who offers to do more than that who is not an attorney is more likely to cost you money than save any.