Legal Question in Family Law in New York
Filing For Divorce
My question has to do with filing for divorce, My husband and I prepared our own legal separation agreement, and filed it with our local county clerk office about 18 months ago.. We have decided it is now time to finalize and file for divorce.. My question, is do we need to seek out an attorney at this time to finish the divorce, or can we continue to do this on our own.. If we were able to continue to do this on our own, what is the next step we must take in this process.. We have been able to do all this without the aid of an attorney this far, as this is a very cordial split.. Where should we go from here. Any advice would be helpful so that we can finalize this with as little expense and headache as possible.
Thank You
3 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Filing For Divorce
You can't have it both ways.
It is like filing your own tax returns. You can either do it yourself and save the expense; or you can pay a professional to do it for you and avoid the headaches and mistakes.
Re: Filing For Divorce
There is never a requirement that you retain an attorney. However, the procedure can be confusing and an attorney skilled in this area could guide you through this minefield.
If I can be of help, please call me.
Daniel Clement
Re: Filing For Divorce
You can do it yourself. Go to the New York Unified Court System website, and download the forms. The forms will be overwhelming - there are many pages, and they ask the same question in 8 different ways. Also, download the instruction packet. If you get completely stuck, do the best you can, and you may need to hire an attorney to help you through the rough parts.