I have been married for 18 years, my husband decided 2 years ago he didn't want to be married anymore and has not had much contact with our 3 kids. He walked out the door 2 weeks before Christmas with the clothes on his back. He has since gotten his second DUI, lost a bunch of weight and looks horrible. He was supporting me and the kids until 3 months ago. Now he says I should get a job and he is giving me nothing. I cannot afford to live in our house with 3 children with my income alone. With the housing market, I don't see that I could sell our house to move somewhere cheaper. He hasn't filed for divorce, so I need to. I have printed the paperwork online, but have no idea what to do next. Help. Any advise would be great. I am willing to pay a lawyer at this point.
Not sure where you are located, but my friend in the Denver Metro area is using Dennis Lacerte(spelling?) out of Centennial. I went with her on her first visit and he was super! She had mediation the other day and said everyone at Arapahoe County Court house knew him and the opposing attny wants him to be on his team.... He seems to be doing a grat job for her....
Hope this helps! AND GOOD LUCK!
I'm so sorry that you're having to go through this!! I hope that you and your kids are able to enjoy your Christmas together! My divorce lawyer actually doesn't handle divorces anymore, as she doesn't like dealing with the people associated with divorces - she said it was too much for her. I will say to ask a lot of questions before you select someone - the cost adds up fast! I will say that Colorado's child support is an automatic worksheet - you can google Colorado Child Support Calculations. You enter in your income, his income and number of overnights for both of you, although it doesn't sound like he has any... Divorce Care is an excellent program for you and your kids as well!!
Hi J.,
Sorry to hear about your situation. I know many churches have programs to help people to meet their bills in tough times (even if you are not a member). Don't be afraid to reach out in the tough times and know that you will help others down the road. There are also lots of divorce recovery programs to help you and your kids too.
Here is an economical way to find out your legal rights. If you ultimately have to retain an attorney, you would get a 25% discount off the hourly rates too (which is a huge savings based on how much attorneys charge). Go to greatlegalhelp.com and watch the clip that explains the services. It will also help you in getting your will, living will and durable healthcare power of attorney updated, advice if you wind up selling the house and buying/leasing another one, unlimited questions, plus contract/documents reviews and more. Plans start at $17 per month and there are no long term contracts. However, once you realize the power of what you have for day to day life, you won't want to give it up. You can email me for more info and details. If you don't know your rights, you don't have any rights.
Hang in there. Life will get better. I've seen it time and time again with watching friends go through divorce. It is really tough at first, but then better situations and doors open for them down the road.
Merry Christmas.
S.
J., I'm sorry you are going through this. PLEASE do not do your divorce with the paperwork that you can download from the county. I did this with my first marriage and it did work for me - we'd only been married 10 months, no kids, no assets together. If you have kids, assets etc. this is not the way to go. I don't have a recommendation on a lawyer but I did want to tell you to definitely get one!
