Doing the No-Lawyer ("Pro Se") Divorce

Just this past month we have had three good folks call us AFTER they did their "simple" divorce themselves at the Courthouse. They filled out the "forms" that the Court gave them and just appeared without lawyers. However, they were unaware of many things, such as the tax implications of what they were doing, and that just because the husband was assuming certain debts that those creditors would not let the wife off the proverbial hook.  Now they wanted us to "redo" their divorce so that all of these (and other issues) could be fixed. However, we have to give them the bad news. The only things that can be "modified" after a divorce is child custody and child support - and sometimes alimony/spousal support (but only if the court or the parties agreed that the court could later modify alimony/spousal support).

Then there is the pause on the phone - and then they again ask if we are sure about this. We affirm what was just stated above. Then there is a sigh, a sincere thank you and then we end the call. We hate it when this happens. The advice here is obvious.   Never ever go though a divorce without the assistance of an experienced domestic relations lawyer.  You usually spend good money rather than face large financial issues (including larger attorney fees) if you have to get the lawyer involved after the divorce.