S.W.
I know there are differences in divorce requirements based on state, but in my experience (two uncontested divorces) even when a divorce is uncontested, a judge needs to accept the divorce documents. I would think $400 is very little to pay to ensure that the judge doesn't send you home to redo. Or even worse, decide for you. Again, in my experience, if there are children involved, there will need to be a parenting plan (including custoday and financial support) submitted or a judge may not accept your documents.
In my divorce with one child, my ex and I agreed on everything. We put a parenting schedule together, agreed on financial matters, and had our wishes put into a document by a lawyer who knew what language the court would accept. We don't have "child support". We each put an amount of money each month in a joint checking accout and we each pay our daughter's expenses out of that account. We vowed that we would not let a court make our parenting decisions for us, that we would always work them out. That doesn't mean that a divorce judge won't require a written agreement.
