Meeting with people at my law office in Gresham, I am often asked to look over papers or to ask me specific questions about a divorce or custody case where they are representing themselves. There are a lot of technical requirements to get a divorce final, which are in place to try and prevent problems later on, but these requirements do not always address important parts of the Judgment that will affect you or your spouse at a later time.
Filing Divorce Paperwork
In any family law case, certain papers have to be drafted and filed with the court and then served on the opposing party. Certain procedures have to be followed to obtain the relief you are seeking. Some Courts have staff in their family law departments who can assist people in filling forms out correctly, however, these people cannot (or should not and are not qualified to) offer legal advice.
If you go before a Judge, however sympathetic that Judge may be towards you, they cannot provide you legal advice. While there are times where self-representation may be appropriate for your situation, there are also times where doing things yourself is very risky and may, in the long run, end up costing you more money – not to mention more emotional turmoil and misery than it would have if you were to hire a qualified attorney in the first place.
It is easier for me, and less expensive and stressful for you, to do things right the first time. I have represented many people who did it themselves the first time, and are now paying me to try and fix their mistakes.
