It’s no secret that going through a divorce in Colorado is going to cost money. With all of the information and resources available online nowadays, it may seem tempting to curb some of those expenses by not hiring an attorney and going it alone. However, doing so could be a mistake for a number of reasons.
If both parties choose to forego legal representation, at least the playing field will be level. However, when one person is represented by a lawyer and the other spouse is not, the unrepresented spouse is at a distinct disadvantage. Court proceedings are full of many nuances and technicalities that are not easily grasped by a layperson. In addition, the Huffington Post points out that one of the main reasons to hire an attorney is so that he or she can explain the different facets of the divorce process. People who do not have a lawyer to explain things to them may end up agreeing to things they didn’t mean to.
While many courts make it easy to obtain forms and file them, paperwork filed by non-lawyers may be rejected for administrative reasons such as being incomplete or being filled out incorrectly. Even if a person manages to correctly file the initial paperwork, not knowing what steps come next can result in long delays according to CNBC.
Some jurisdictions, such as California, are adopting an abbreviated process for some types of divorces between spouses without legal representation. The main purpose of these kinds of programs is to help alleviate court backlogs. However, they only truly are helpful in the rare case that there are no complications with child custody, spousal support, asset division or any other common divorce topic. It remains to be seen whether or not this will catch on in other areas of the country as well.
Tags: Divorce
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