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“I need a divorce lawyer and have no money.”
It’s a situation a lot of our clients face.Â
They are strapped for cash.Â
And they need a divorce.Â
But they can’t afford to spend $10,000+ on a divorce lawyer.Â
Today, we are covering all of the options available if you’re thinking, “I need a divorce lawyer and have no money.”Â
Let’s dig in.
Divorce can be devastating. It’s heartbreaking when parents lose custody of their children. Spouses end up having to pay agonizing amounts of financial support.
If you want to protect your rights, not wrongfully lose custody, and not get raked over the coals financially, fill out the form below. Free consultations are first come first serve. We always run out of slots. Make sure you get yours locked in now.
You’re in a dilemma.Â
The average cost of divorce is:
And that’s for EACH spouse.Â
Hardly anyone has the ability to drop $5,000 – $27,000 on getting a divorce.
(That’s why we offer family law attorney payment plans.)
But even payment plans can take years to pay off.Â
You’re here because “I need a divorce lawyer and have no money.”
So, let’s go over how to get a divorce with no money.
This section is going to cover how to get a divorce with no money.Â
The most common ways are:
You can fill out your own do it yourself divorce papers.Â
You will fill out the do-it-yourself divorce papers and file them at your local county clerk.
(Get your divorce papers here.)
When you use do it yourself divorce papers, you need to have an uncontested divorce.Â
Meaning you and your spouse agree on all issues about the divorce.Â
This includes issues like:
If you and your spouse don’t agree on these issues, it is a contested divorce.Â
You can negotiate with your spouse and come to an agreement before you file, though.Â
If you can come to an agreement prior to filing for divorce, it will be uncontested.Â
Even if you currently don’t agree on anything.Â
If it’s a contested divorce, you’ll have to hire a divorce lawyer.Â
A divorce filing fee waiver is available if you cannot afford a divorce lawyer.
To use a divorce filing fee waiver, you need to have no income or low income.Â
You qualify for “low income” if your household earns 125% or less than the poverty level.Â
The poverty levels for the number of people in a household are:
Let’s say that you have a spouse and two kids.Â
This means your household has 4 persons in it.Â
So, the poverty line here is $26,500.Â
Remember that to qualify for “low-income,” you have to earn 125% or less than the poverty line.Â
In this case, if your household income is $33,125 or less, then you qualify.Â
To get your divorce filing fee waiver, ask your county clerk for this waiver.Â
They will want to discuss your income with you when they give this to you.Â
Bring last year’s tax returns with you.Â
This will provide them with evidence of your income.Â
The divorce filing fee is normally about $250.Â
Your divorce filing fee waiver will waive this divorce filing fee.Â
But it won’t pay for an attorney.Â
And it won’t waive attorney fees.Â
So, this only covers the filing fees.
You will file the divorce filing fee waiver WITH your divorce papers when you file them.Â
If I need a divorce lawyer and have no money, how can I get a pro bono divorce lawyer?
Pro bono divorce lawyers are lawyers who are offering their services for free.Â
This is volunteer work for lawyers.Â
But that doesn’t mean that anyone can get pro bono divorce lawyers.Â
Pro bono divorce lawyers only volunteer on cases that are simple and for lower-income families.Â
Pro bono divorce lawyers will also volunteer on domestic violence-related divorces.Â
You can find pro bono lawyers near me or you can search for Legal Aid.
To qualify for a pro bono lawyer, you have to meet the income requirements.Â
The income requirement for a pro bono lawyer is 125% or less of the poverty line.Â
Let’s talk about legal aids for divorce.Â
Legal aids for divorce are state-level legal aids.Â
Legal aids for divorce are not federally funded programs.Â
They are non-profit agencies providing legal aid for divorces.Â
Most of the time, they help people in an “I need a divorce lawyer and have no money” scenario.Â
While most legal aids for divorce focus only on low-income families, others are more flexible.Â
They will also help families in a domestic violence situation.Â
Legal aids for divorce have the same qualifications as other less affordable lawyers.Â
And everything you say to your lawyer is confidential.
This means that it is not shared with anyone outside of the legal aid office.Â
Since everything you say to your legal aid lawyer is confidential, tell your lawyer the truth.
They are able to help you the most when you tell them the truth.Â
If they get blind-sided in court, you could lose custody battles or other serious issues.Â
Divorce mediation is great for people thinking, “I need a divorce lawyer and have no money.”
But there’s a trick to make your divorce cheaper.Â
Hire a divorce mediator BEFORE you file for divorce.Â
When you go through divorce mediation first, you resolve issues before you file.Â
This turns your contested divorce into an uncontested divorce.Â
This, on average, will reduce your cost of divorce by $15,000 for each spouse.Â
Divorce mediation is when you hire a divorce mediator, which is a neutral third party.Â
They will help facilitate negotiations and discussions for important issues.Â
Issues like child custody and alimony.Â
Mediation is one of the most frequently used methods of negotiating a divorce settlement.
The mediator doesn’t make decisions for you.
They serve as a facilitator to help you and your spouse figure out what’s best.
On this flip side, what if you wait to hire one AFTER you file for divorce?Â
Your divorce lawyers will get involved and you’re being charged $300-$450 per hour every step of the way.Â
This can rack up your attorney fees very fast.Â
Anything that you can complete before filing will save you thousands later.Â
If you want the best divorce attorneys to represent you, fill out the form below.
We have the experience needed to ensure that your rights are protected.
This means that you don’t wrongfully lose custody of your children.
We also make sure that your divorce judgment is equitable and fair.
This means you don’t get raked over the coals financially.
After you fill out the form below, we will set up your free consultation.
Talk soon.
You want to invest into your future. Whether that’s protecting yourself with a prenup, getting a fresh start with divorce, or setting up your estate. You deserve reliable attorneys who get results. Fill out the form above for your FREE consultation.
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