How Do I Go About a Divorce

Hi,

First to respond to the person who said you could get an annulment because of being married less than 1 year, that is incorrect. Annulments have very specific qualifications.

The best thing for you to do is call North Texas Legal Aid in Fort Worth. They work on a no scale or sliding scale basis. I don't know their qualifications but they will walk you through everything to see if you qualify. Also, the 1st Wednesday of each month, the Arlington Bar Association has a legal clinic that you can attend. Attorneys sometimes take cases on pro bono from the clinic.

Hope that helps. The reason I know this is because I am a family law attorney in Tarrant County.

Good luck

J.

I want to throw something out there from personal experience - NO JUDGEMENT!! If this is what you feel you need to do, then just ignore this but I wanted to say that I am divorced and although I am happy with my life now, I truly regret not trying absolutely everything I could to make the marriage work. Could I have saved it? Maybe, maybe not, but I'll never know. I wanted to give you that to think about because I don't want you to have the same regret later. Just make sure that this is REALLY what you want and not a knee-jerk reaction! Good luck whatever happens!!!

I don't know Texas law, but in many states you can file for a "no-fault" divorce. Basically you're both saying it's uncontested and you mutually want out of it, so you just need a judge to sign off on it. Try to call Legal Aid or some type of free legal service to find out about those options, or google "Texas Divorce Law" to find out.

However, don't shoot yourself in the foot! Does he own the home where you're living? If so, and you haven't paid anything for it or have your name on the deed -that's one thing -but don't just give him everything so you can get out. Do you have children together or young children? If so, make sure you have a legal child support agreement in place. Has he been supporting you? If so, you may be entitled to alimony. Make sure you're getting everything you're entitled to financially before you just go driving off into the sunset.

Jessica, I, too, read your previous posts .... and I agree with DVMMOM - I hope you're not doing this to get back with your first husband. AND I hope you're not doing it because your husband doesn't like you raising your cousin. AND I hope you will be responsible with the 3 kitties you got in October and your 8-mo-old boston terrier you asked about in September.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but Jessie, hon, you need to get some help. I know you've had a really hard life, but you're not going to find happiness in a man, your kids, pets, or in Mamapedia.

I know you have a lot of health problems. I'm not surprised with all the stresses in your life.

I'm not going to tell you to get involved in church (although that wouldn't hurt); I'm not going to tell you to check yourself into a hospital (although that probably wouldn't hurt either). I know you have no money and no insurance, but that's why we have county hospitals....trust me, they're just as good and there's nothing to be ashamed of in going there.

You sound really depressed and over the past year or so that I've been reading your posts, it's obvious that things are getting worse.

Please go someplace where you can get some help, someone to talk to who can help you get your life back on track - or ON track if you feel it never has been.

The precious folks on this site are just that, precious folks who want to help others with their advice. They each have special gifts to share with all of us. But I think this is out of their/our league!

You need to talk to someone who can help you learn how to take care of yourself - not necessarily financially, but emotionally and physically and psychologically.

Sending you healing thoughts and prayers. You CAN turn this around!
Been-there-done-that

Looking back at some of your previous posts, I really hope you are not leaving this husband in order to get back together with your first one.

Usually if you have been married less than a year you should be able to get an annulment. This is quite a bit cheaper then a divorce. I think you should be able to look in the yellow pages or google it on the net and find no cost or low cost legal advice.

Here you can file for a dissolution of marriage, and all you have to pay in the filling fees. In order to do so you must both agree on the terms. Once you file a judge looks it over to be sure the agreement is fair to both parties and than grants it. Here you can download the paper work online off the city web page.

If you look in your phone book in the yellow pages you can find listings for attorneys who do free 30 minute consultations. You could make an appointment.

You can also call legal aid and ask them how to go about it. You have to start calling right at the time they open and just be patient because they are extremely busy.

You can also call the county court house and ask the court clerk how to go about it. They know the law because they are the ones who file the paper work for all the court processes.

It may be that you'll have to file in the county you got married in. I lived in a different part of the state when I filed and had to go to the county courthouse of the county I got married in.

http://www.nolotech.com/TX/dyodtx.html
The above website sells the book "Do Your Own Texas Divorce" for $22.00.
I used this system and it works, they walk you through the whole thing step by step. If you own real estate together or have children together you cannot do it by yourself, you will need an attorney.