A friend just told me that she has separated from her husband, and they are going to get a divorce. She does not know what the steps are in terms of filing for divorce, and funds are limited in terms of using a lawyer. I don't know much about the process either. Is there a period of time that the couple needs to be legally separated before one of them files for divorce? What should she do now? Any info on this matter would be much appreciated.
Every divorce is different. My advice is to consult a family law attorney: Alexandria Geczi, ###-###-#### and wwww.familylawdfw.com.
Have your friend check out www.texaslawhelp.org - it has lots of do-it-yourself forms & instructions on how to file the paperwork yourself. If she can't afford an attorney, I think this is one of the best ways to go.
The state of Texas does not recognize an official separation time. She needs to know that any reputable lawyer should give her a first time consultation for free before taking her case. If the two of them could write out what they want and don't want then they could pay the same lawyer just once to make the papers say it all in legal terms. Then it is taken to a judge to sign. This avoids mediation costs also.
R. in Murphy
____@____.com
My ex and I were still living together when we started the divorce process. By the end of it he'd moved out though. If everything is amicable, a lawyer may not even be necessary. My ex and I didn't have children or property together so we pulled the documents off the internet, changed it to fit our situation and filed it with the city.
Call Gary Pullin, he has a General Practice in Frisco and can advise you properly. He is one of few attorneys that will actually take your call personally and not charge you for the consultation. Below is his number, hope this information is helpful.
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Thanks,
G.
If children are involved, please see a marriage counselor first! My prayers are with you!
I don't know if legaly you HAVE to have a lawyer or not, but having been there I would highly suggest she find a way to have a lawyer - even if she thinks things are going to be amicable. In my case it would have been much cheaper in the long run. I didn't have one (in Texas about 15 years ago) and I wish I had. I hope that she and her husband can work things out, but either way, i wish her the best. You're a good friend.
There is no legal separation in Texas. If there are children she must have a lawyer. There are filing fees and a wait for the divorce to be final.
Contact (or have your friend contact) the local bar association and let them know she is seeking pro bono divorce help. They should be able to steer her in the right direction.
She can contact my law firm for a consultation at ###-###-####.
Texas does not have a legal separation requirement. We offer free consultations to Mamsource referrals, so have her call our office for an appointment.
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K. Smith
Honestly, a lot of these answers depend on the state in which your friend resides. Each state has different laws governing divorce. Some say you must have a legal separation, others you can file right away.. etc.. I see you are in Texas and I don't know the laws there.. sorry I can't be more help..
contrary to what you've been told by someone else, you do NOT need a lawyer to get divorced, even if you have kids. You can go pro se, which is what I just did; however, I have quite a bit of knowledge on how the whole process works and the split was amicable. Since that rarely happens in divorce cases, your friend needs a lawyer. Any decent lawyer will give you a free consultation.
The amount of money spent depends on how amicable the divorce is. The more than can agree to without the presence of lawyers or mediators, the better. If they can sit down and divide assets, property, and debt by themselves and write everything down (a his and hers list), that goes a long way to getting a bulk of the stuff done.
filing isn't really all that expensive. $224 in denton county, but I think each county has its own fee schedule.
good luck to your friend!
