There are free court forms online and affordable self-help packets from the local courthouse for those folks who do not, or cannot, hire an attorney for their Florida divorce: please continue reading…
If you are going to obtain a divorce, you must first consider what state is the right place to file for divorce (also called the divorce “petition”). I have blogged previously on the circumstances where Florida, the state in which I am licensed, is the right state for a particular petitioner.
The next step is whether or not to hire an attorney. There are many reasons why you may choose to go about getting a divorce by yourself (also called “pro se” representation). You may be on friendly, clear terms with your soon-to-be ex-wife or husband and lawyers are not necessary, both sides are not hiring an attorney, or you may simply not be able to afford one. Whatever the reasons, many, many folks go about divorcing without hiring a lawyer. I generally do not recommend being unrepresented when the other side has hired a lawyer, and urge you to contact your local Legal Aid office to see if you qualify for free legal services if cost is the issue. However, following are some very helpful links for the self-help pro se Floridian petitioner.
The Florida State Courts provide many free forms online here (keep scrolling down until you hit the forms section). Please read the directions on how to download the forms, which are linked to the appropriate Florida Rules of Court and are provided in a variety of formats (including pdf).
Additional help and court-specific packets are available at your local court self-help center:
This article does not constitute legal advice or the formation of an attorney-client relationship, and is not for re-publication without express permission of the author.
By Elizabeth Lee Beck, Esq. Ms. Beck obtained her law degree from Yale Law School, and is co-managing partner of Beck & Lee in Miami. She can be reached at 305-789-0072 or elizabeth@beckandlee.com
Beck & Lee is a litigation law firm located in Miami, Florida.
[...] Original post by Elizabeth Lee Beck [...]
By: Self-Help Florida Divorce at Real Estate Attorney Florida on October 24, 2007
at 6:08 am