Trouble With Do-It-Yourself Divorce

Every so often someone shows us her recently issued divorce decree, which was obviously disadvantageous to her.

“Can we fix this?” she wants to know.

“It’s going to be tough,” we have to tell her.

What the woman and her former spouse did was get divorced using a downloaded form. They were a young couple with no children, modest assets and reasonable goodwill toward one another. But their agreement greatly underestimated the complexity of their assets and failed to take tax consequences into consideration.

The resulting agreement was heavily weighted in her former husband’s favor. And the decree went through because she did not have skilled attorneys looking out for her interests.

Because she took this short cut, she experienced significant financial setbacks. We took her case and were eventually able to obtain the modifications she needed. Luckily, her former husband was cooperative. But her “quick-and-easy” divorce still cost her thousands of dollars.

Sometimes A Bargain Is No Bargain At All

People who cobble together their own divorce agreements often get into serious trouble, of many different kinds:

• They make mistakes filing required forms
• They miss filing dates, tying the case up
• They consent to court orders without grasping their legal and financial consequences
• They ignore the tax consequences of their decisions
• They are unable to respond intelligently to legal issues that arise

The bottom line: DIY divorce has no place in the courts, just as DIY surgery does not belong in a hospital.

Let’s Do Your Divorce Right

At Hobby Law, P.A., we make an effort to deliver the best aspects of DIY divorce: We want you to understand the proceedings at every step, and we strive to be responsive and affordable. But we are also thorough in protecting you against the pitfalls of a simplistic approach.

It’s no good to race through divorce only to pay heavily afterward. To understand your options, call Hobby Law, P.A., for a free initial consultation.

Do you know what the dangers of DIY divorce are? If not, call family lawyer Ryan Hobby at Hobby Law, P.A., in Clermont toll free at 888-99-HOBBY. Or write to us using this e-form.