Need a Divorce, Quick and Easy...

S. - I am a family law attorney. You don't say where you are so I can't give you any public advice. If you e-mail me at ____@____.com and give me some particulars, I can give you some names of some excellent attorneys near you and give you some ideas on how to keep the cost of your divorce to a minimum.

D. Kimbriel
Grandma to 2 beautiful boys

Unless there has been a Biblical reason for a divorce (adultry only)you are NOT to get a divorce no matter what Sounds like you two are only thinking of yourselves and have not been together long enough to even know each other. it takes 3 for a mariage and He will get you thru the tough times. Believe me God will forgive but there will be consequences to pay. Unfortunately the chldren will pay greatly. Ya'll married 'for better or worse' NOT if you are not happy etc. PLEASE pray about this and go for counseling , whatever it takes. You will not be sorry as you are older you succeeded in this sacrement.

I don't have time to read all of the replies to see if this has been addressed or not, but PLEASE do not use legalzoom.com or do it on your own. I am an attorney, but I do not handle family law cases, so I have nothing to benefit from telling you this. But I do handle real estate matters, wills, and business transactions, and I have had clients come to me who were previously divorced when the divorce was not handled by an attorney. Things were a mess. One woman did not get the portion of her husband's retirement that she should have. Another woman did not get part of her husband's life insurance proceeds, even though they had agreed she would. Once the papers were signed, there was nothing those women could do about it.

As for Legalzoom, it is a national group that often does not follow the correct state law requirements, and there have been questions whether they are committing the unlawful practice of law. I have seen corporations formed by them and wills prepared by similar outfits, and they were a mess as well.

Please be cautious and have an attorney help you with this, especially when kids are involved.

Hi S., call Marx, Altman & Johnson. They have an office in Dallas and Ft. Worth. As long as the divorce is amicable and you both agree on terms-they will represent you for around $500 total including court costs. I have had several friends who have used them. Here is their website: www.txdivorces.com. You only have to go to their office for the initial consult-then they will file and draw up the Final Decree, mail it to you for signature. Then they set your court date and they will represent you in court. Again, it must be amicable.

Call my friend Kate Smith in Colleyville...she'll take good care of you guys. Here's her contact info:

http://www.smithcunningham.com/sc/kate-smith.html
1205 Hall Johnson Road, Suite 3
Colleyville, Texas 76034

Phone: ###-###-####
Fax: ###-###-####

I did mine through one of the online services, they are just as effective and cheep if both parties are in agreement. It's called a Pro SE divorce, I think the total cost for mine was about $400.00. It's easy to do yourself, as well as private and secure. Good Luck!

Go to your county clerk's office, they will have a law library, they have the forms there or you can email the law library clerk and ask if they will send you the divorce papers.... You have to change the stuff and fill it out, but if you both are in agreement then it'll be easy and quick without paying for lawyers... If you think there is going to be problems later down the road, I'd find a lawyer...

S.,
I am am board certified family lawyer in Bedford. www.texasfamilylaw.info
There is certainly no requirement to have a lawyer. While getting the case filed can be easy from a do it yourself standpoint, drafting an enforceable divorce decree is another matter. Also, lay people do not understand enough about the law to craft a settlement that is best for them. I am happy to review any documents that you prepare on your own on an hourly basis. If there is no pending divorce my first 1/2 hour consultation is free.
If your husband and you are not able to get everything figured out, at least look into collaborative law. Thanks
D.

http://www.fortworthdivorcelawyer.com/

That site was recommended to me from someone who just finished working with them. Said they were quick and had payment plans.

And also, I know how hard it is to make the decision to divorce. So just ignore those who choose to judge and say things like "if you would just commit you could work it out." You can commit, you can have faith, you can go to counseling and things could still not work out. It doesn't make you any less of a mother to your children, or any less loved in God's eyes. HTH!

If you and your husband would show each other the kind of commitment you have for your children you would be able to work anything out.

I did my own divorce in Fort Worth about 10 years ago. It cost me the filing fees of $169, the fee at that time. I went to the library and checked out the book and followed the instructions having to do with my situation. This is a book that I looked up and found to be in the library.

How to do your own divorce in Texas /
by Sherman, Charles Edward, 1938-

The summary: This up-to-date handbook enables Texas couples to obtain an uncontested divorce quickly and painlessly. It explains in clear language how the laws work, how to divide marital property, how to settle child custody and support issues, and other important decisions, along with ways to reach agreement with the other spouse. All the necessary forms, plus step-by-step instructions on how to complete and file them, are included in a tear-out set and on a CD-ROM that also contains further information and materials.

When I got divorced we had been separated for about 18 months. I did not want a divorce but he refused to work on it so I finally filed because I couldn't keep being married without a husband. He did not have his own attorney and went with me to the attorneys office. He waived his right to be served which saved some money. We divided the property ourselves and everything went very smooth. The only thing that was extra was the child support/custody papers & the two deeds to put our house in my name and our lake property in his name. As long as there is no fighting and arguing this shouldn't cost you too much. Ours was very amicable and now 11 years later, we still get along very well. He has always paid child support on time without any hassle and has raised the amount when he got raises. I never had to go back to court. I think the most important thing for both partners and the children is for the adults to act like adults. Sounds like you guys will be ok.

Go to texaslawhelp.org, they will have all the forms you need to get started. Me and my ex did ours by ourselves using all these forms.

When you have kids or property involved, it's never cheap. Make sure you get a child support order, or you may never receive any money from him (even if you trust him, you have to think of the boys).

Legal Zoom. www.legalzoom.com
quick and easy to follow the instructions and get it done. my first husband and I used this site and our divorce was very clean and quick. It was very very easy as long as each detail you two can work out between you. it was time for us to just do it and move on so this was the best. good luck to you. it will be hard even though you both want it. the actual "doing it" is hard. let me know if I can help you in any other way.
Don't listen to people who tell you their opinion of your situation. No one else is in it than you, and anyone who wants to sit back in judgement of you or your family because you have made this decision is naive and ignorant and only wants to push their values on you. if this is right for you and yours; you know it.

*hugs* to you and your boys! it sounds like you are a loving and respectful mama doing your best in a yucky situation. like previous posters have said, there really isn't a hassle-free way to divorce when children are involved. it does take a lawyer in most cases, unfortunately. sad to say that people can't take care of the decisions they make on their own on their own, ykwim? it is commendable you both are on board with not making a bad situation worse with a hard-fought divorce.
and i also want to add in response to your wanting to work out whatever is best for your boys, that oftentimes couples focus on the here and now. it's easy to do in a situation as overwhelming and tragic as even the decison to divorce, let alone the actual process. in light of this, i urge you to now lovingly consider the future for not only your boys and yourself, but also for their children and their children's children, and so on...so many people! just a single drop of divorce in the waters of their relational development can start a cascade that affects generations to come. the actual, cold-hearted stats are that children of divorced parents are more than twice as likely to divorce themselves; couples married when both sets of parents have had a divorce are three times as likely to divorce. it's a phenomenon called the divorce cycle, or the intergenerational transmission of divorce. the maturity, love, and compassion you show in your post gives me confidence that you have already considered this, but just in case you haven't, i wanted to mention it. i realize it might come across as 'not answering your question' or 'being judgemental,' but it is not intended that way at all. please accept it only as a head's up for the sake of your kiddos -- nothing more, nothing less! feel free to pm me if you'd like to talk, six months ago i could have written your post myself...and i'm not saying that i won't write your post in another six months, either, iykwim...

At the age of your boys, it sounds like you two haven't taken the time to figure out why it isn't working, because whatever it is will go into the next relationship if you don't . Have you tried counseling?? People don't (fall) out of love if they were truly in love to begin with, although it can happen if one person is cruel to the other. Some people get married in lust, thinking it is love, then it doesn't work out, but figure out what you each saw in each other when you married. Start a list of why you (loved, admired, was frind with etc.) and not a list of what you don't like about each other. Then just list what thing it is that you don't see how you can live with if it stays the same. After you have did all this, and you Truly have tried all things, you can go to the court house, without a lawyer in my state, and file, It takes quite awhile for it to finalize , but if you move out from each other, what is the rush for it to be legal, unless one of you is wanting to get married again immediately, in which case I dont give the second one any chance, oh well. The legal part you may need to get help with is the chihld custody, as something legal needs to be documented in the court, because problems , money, time with them etc. can crop up ugly, when you think for sure it won't, so it needs to be down on paper what you plan on doing in this case.

Hi S.,
We offer a free consultation if you call our office, Smith Cunningham, LP at ###-###-####.
K. Smith
Attorney at law
1205 Hall Johnson Road
Colleyville, TX 76034
www.smithcunningham.com

inquire with smu law program. at one time the senior graduating students would counsel clients for free. good luck.

I had to do this, too. It was easy, because we had no assets together, like a house or cars. Basically, I printed the forms off the internet, went and filed. We went before the judge the first time, and basically said "What was his before the marriage is his, what was mine before is mine now." He and I had agreed that I would have full custody of our daughter, and he would pay me $XXX per month in child support. Well, he turned us away, because we had to have legal documents for our child. He told us to go get a lawyer to represent Mattie. We found a very cheap family lawyer, who wrote up the legal custody/child support papers. We signed everything, took them in front of the judge, and he granted the divorce. I am not sure it would have been this easy had we purchased a home or cars together, but it went very smoothly...as divorces go. The only reason we had to have papers on custody was if "anger issues" came up later. We needed proof of our agreement. I think we paid about $152 for the attorney, and we split that bill 50/50. Hope this helps!
Also, yes, its great to be committed, but there are times it just won't work. So ignore those comments! I was told the same things, and what people didn't realize was that it was actually a dangerous situation, and I was doing a dis-service to my daughter by staying. I am remarried, and NOW my daughter has a real family. Watching momy and daddy fight, or even hearing, is as bad as divorce. Just remember it will all be OK and work out!

My daughter, has 2 kids and they got theirs through the law library at the courthouse. I know they it was not very expensive, I want to say under 200. You fill out the paperwork and they do the rest If you live in Collin County you can call Phone: ###-###-#### ext. 4255 or ###-###-#### ext. 4260
Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm, Monday - Friday, and ask them about it. Good luck....

If it's uncontested, it will make things easier however there isn't such a thing as quick and easy. Once you file and get a court date which takes a bit of time...then there is a waiting period of about 90 days before the judge will finalize it. It's put there in Texas in case the parties change their mind. Total it's about 6 months long and if contested it can take a year or more. Sorry to hear about you guys getting a divorce. It sounds like you guys have at least been on good terms and able to discuss it. Best of Luck.

You likely just need a lawyer or even a mediator. I had friends that had a very amicable divorce and they used the same lawyer, so that saved alot of money. I would not do it without a lawyer. Things may change with your husband over time - i.e., he may find someone else and then you could have the "evil stepmother" situation, so you need something that is sufficiently binding. Also, consider the relocation issue should it arise. And, also consider that an 11 month old may be too young for a standard visitation model and you need to consider how that will work - i.e., no overnites until the child is x years old, weekends only or weeks at a time, etc. Things will also get more difficult than you might imagine when the kids start school - i.e., whose school district, etc. So, honestly, I would not recommend you cut costs for this as the long term cost could be even more - i.e., having to move so that they can spend time equally with both parents and still attend same school, etc.

S.
It looks like you received all sorts of input. May I give some more?

The best piece of advice someone gave me when i started having kids was "the best thing you can offer your child(ren) is a happy and loving marriage." It is so true! If two kids can be with both their parents in a healthy and happy marriage everything else in their little lives is easier. And we all know how hard growing up is in the first place. May I PLEASE encourage you to check out this program called Re-Engage. It's a FREE couples therapy class that is offered at my church Watermark. Seriously, before you go through the divorce, consider giving this a shot. Those boys will forever be affected by your divorce (AND your marriage if it doesn't improve). Here's the link to find out more. http://www.watermark.org/ministries/life-stage-ministries...

My husband is an attorney in Arlington. He only charges his clients by the hour. Not alot of attorneys do this, most charge flat fees. If interested in his number, let me know.

Forgive me if I am being redundant since I did not take the time to read all of the other posts.

Instead of 2 divorce attorneys, you can use mediation. It is much less complicated when both parties are being agreeable.

http://www.yellowbook.com/profile/dispute-resolution-serv...

With my first marriage, I used the book, How to Do Your Own Divorce in Texas by Ed Sherman. It was pretty easy with the downloaded forms. Just the court fees. We didn't have children but I remember the book covered it. You don't have to have an attorney.