News and comments about divorce, child support, child custody, alimony, equitable property distribution, father’s rights, mother’s rights, family law, laws on divorce and other legal information in Maryland.
That’s a question I get a lot. How do you hire a divorce attorney when you have no money? Here are some answers culled from the comments at OttawaDivorce.com:
Please leave a comment here and tell us how you paid for a lawyer in your divorce.
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Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest statistics (2006), divorce360.com says the average American family is married, has two children, makes between $50,000 to $74,999 a year and owns a home worth about $185,000.
Based those statistics, divorce360.com, has added up the estimated costs of a divorce, including not only attorneys fees, but hidden costs like financial help, therapy for the parties and their children, and real estate costs for selling, buying or renting homes.
The average costs total $53,000 per divorce.
For a couple making $150,000 a year with a home worth $535,000, the average pricetag increases to $188,000 per divorce.
The first step in a divorce proceeding is the preparation and filing of a Complaint. The legal document that starts the proceeding is entitled “Complaint for Divorce”. The Complaint states the grounds for divorce and the vital statistics of the parties and the marriage. You file the Complaint at the Clerk’s Office at the Courthouse.
The Complaint also covers certain technical matters and asks the court for anything you might want. If you and your spouse cannot agree on something (support, custody, visitation, property division, attorney’s fees, court costs) then you must ask the court for it in the petition or the court cannot give it to you. If the list seems long, or if it includes more than you want, think of it as a wish list.
If the wording seems strange, remember that it is a formal legal document and much of the wording is required by law. If your spouse has already filed, you can file a Countercomplaint for Divorce with your Answer.
Only the court can give you a divorce. The first step in a divorce proceeding is the preparation and filing of a Complaint. The legal document that starts the proceeding is entitled “Complaint for Absolute Divorce”. The Complaint states the grounds for divorce and the vital statistics of the parties and the marriage.
It also covers certain technical matters and asks the court for anything you might want. If you and your spouse cannot agree on something (support, custody, visitation, property division, attorney’s fees, court costs) then you must ask the court for it in the petition or the court cannot give it to you. If the list seems long, or if it includes more than you want, think of it as a wish list.
If the wording seems strange, remember that it is a formal legal document and much of the wording is required by law. Here is a Maryland Complaint for Absolute Divorce in PDF format.
