Get a Lawyer or File on Own

Get some sort of representation. I truly believe that in the long run you will save money that way!!!!! Good luck, I know what you are going through must be very difficult.

There is a book available called "Do It Yourself Divorce, In Texas". You are only required to pay the court filing fee which is about $100 + (I think, been 18 years for me). Only hitch is that both parties have to sign the documents before they are filed. You should be able to at least look through the book in a local library to verify any questions you have. Good luck hope things go well with you and your divorce & future. My ex would never sign and I ended up getting a loan through my credit union to pay for a lawyer.

DO NOT file on your own. Get a Lawyer!
Most of them will work with you on payments, but don't just get the cheapest get the best you can find.
I tried to do the do it yourself thing, even got some legal aid help b/c of my financial situation. All I can say is that 9 yrs later, my son and I are both paying for the problems that came from it. I still ended up paying a lawyer thousands of dollars (which he told me I wouldn't have had to pay if I had come to him in the first place), and I am about to be dragged back into court again. (His father hasn't seen him in almost two years, by his choice, but he's decided to take me to court for visitation).
I'm not saying that your case would end up this way, but divorce is an ugly messy thing and you are very emotionally involved. You need someone who understands the system and will fight for what is best for you and your children without getting emotional.
Just my two cents.

Definitely get a lawyer or some representation if any of the children are his. You will want to make sure you have adequate support for them until they are grown. There are lots of things that you can do yourself, but this should not be one of them. Good luck!

I agree with everyone else get a lawyer. I was in the same situation when I was going through a divorce. I went to the Martin Luther King center and received a lawyer. I did not have to pay the lawyer. The lawyers that come there will give you help but it is based on your income.

R., if he is the father of any of your children, you should definitly get an attorney. I know you feel bad about asking your mom for help, but with an attorney you should be able to start getting the help you deserve from your soon to be ex. Hope this helps, and God bless! ~T.

You should have your own representation, even if you choose collaborative law (typically cheaper than mediation, a form of mediation which is geared to be amicable - when you interview attorneys ask them if they practice it). Google: "collaborative law in Texas"

when I divorced my ex, I retained an expensive, high-powered attorney and he didn't and it made a big difference. Now knowing that he went on the cheap, I probably could have done the whole thing for a lot less, but I certainly got the better deal.

Best of luck.
C.

Hi R.,

I read all the replies that you got and decided to let you know that the legal advised you received was not all correct. I am a family law attorney in Fort Worth. I would love to chat with you for a minute. Please call me at ###-###-#### during the week. If you get the voice mail, please leave a message. I am in court quite a bit so I usually have to call everyone back. Just let me know that you are on Mamasource.

J. Duke

Seems to me that if there is any money to split you need to get half of that. Furthermore, if there is money that is owed you should split that, as well--UNLESS the money owed was incurred prior to your marriage.

It is my opinion that you need to get an attorney since there will be child support set--well, I assume there will be. Is the 3 year old his? Does his income exceed yours? Will you be sharing custody? These things all depend on getting a lawyer. You need to look after the best interest of your CHILDREN.

Hi, my friend got a divorce and didnt have to pay anything using the free legal aid, if you qualify this may help you out ALOT, here is a web site http://www.lanwt.org/programs.asp

Also, you can get free legal help through the texas attorney general for child support...
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/cs/index.shtml

And if for some reason you dont qualify they also have low income programs or you can get them to make your ex husband pay your legal fees in the settlement...

Here is some other information for you:
LEGAL AID OF NORTHWEST TEXAS
When and Where New Applicants Are Interviewed (Intake) 2006
INTAKE SCHEDULES
DALLAS
Dallas Branch Office
1515 Main St
Dallas, Texas 75201

Counties Served: Dallas

Hours and Days of Operation: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
###-###-####

Location Intake Days Intake Hours
Dallas Office
1515 Main Street
Dallas, Texas 75201 Map

Emergencies
Monday

Mon - Fri 8:00 am

8:30-11:30am 1:00-4:00 pm

Martin Luther King, Jr. Center
Core Services Bldg. Room #122
2922 MLK Blvd
Dallas, Texas 75215 Map 1st, 2nd & 4th Tues 6:00 pm

Grace United Methodist Church
4105 Junius at Haskell,
Dallas, Texas 75246 Map
1st & 3rd Thurs/month 6:00 pm

Marillac Social Services Cntr.
2843 Lapsley,
Dallas, Texas 75212 Map 2nd & 4th Thurs/month 6:00 pm

Day Resource Center
901 S. Ervay Street,
Dallas, Texas 75201 Map Thursdays 2 - 4 pm

The Stewpot
408 Park Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75201 Map Tuesdays 9 am

Triangle Neighborhood LegalClinic St. Phillip’s Community Center
1600 Pennsylvania (South Dallas),
Dallas, Texas 75215 Map 3rd Tuesday 6:00 p.m.

Life Net
10405 E. Northwest Highway, #100,
Dallas, Texas 75238 Map 1st Thursday/month 1:15 p.m

Interfaith Housing
5610 Ross Avenue,
Dallas,Texas 75206 Map Monday Every 3 months

Centralized Intake Hotline
Dallas ###-###-####
Toll Free (888) 529-5277 Mon - Fri 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Access & Visitation Hotline
Dallas ###-###-####
Toll Free (866) 292-4636 Mon - Fri 1:00 pm-7:00 pm