DIY vs Attorney Filings
In cases of uncontested divorces, you may be wondering if you could just file on your own behalf or “pro se”. This process, casually called the “do it yourself” divorce, means that you complete documents, file them with the court and attend a hearing without a lawyer’s assistance. Here are the pros and cons of hiring an attorney versus doing it yourself.
Attorney Filing
When you hire our team to handle your divorce, the cost of filing divorce papers are absorbed in the cost of your lawyer’s fee. This is typically a one-time fee of $750. In most cases, our attorneys are able to complete a simple divorce filing in 60 days from start to finish. We ensure the filing is done right or we will re-file the paperwork at no cost to the client.
DIY Filing
When filing your paperwork, you receive documents from the County Clerk that are $50 per copy. These packets are more than 30 pages on average, which you need to complete correctly on your own. After you visit the courthouse to successfully file your papers, which costs $300, it can take an average of 6 months to hear back from the court. If corrections are needed, the process begins again.
