Doing Your Own Divorce in Ohio

doing your own divorce in ohio

Doing Your Own Divorce in Ohio

People can file for divorce or for a dissolution of marriage themselves and without a lawyer.  This is known as “pro se” or representing oneself.

There has been a great increase in the number of dissolution and divorce “pro se” filings in Ohio.  Many times the papers and forms used are incomplete or not done properly.

Divorce kits which are sold online on the internet do not properly address Ohio law and procedure and are often rejected by courts.   Going to the library, researching on the internet, and trying to learn all that is required may be time consuming and frustrating.

The Ohio Supreme Court has tried to address this problem by adopting a number of forms which must be honored in all counties.  This has helped.

Despite these standardized forms, there are many problems to “pro se” divorce.  People may have problems interpreting and filling out the forms, having their questions answered, addressing unique problems in their case, and knowing how to properly use the standardized forms.

The Alternative To Doing Your Own Divorce All Alone or Paying the High Price of a Lawyer

There is an alternative to trying to do the paperwork yourself or paying the high price of a lawyer.

There is what is known in legal language as Limited Service Representation.  This is where the lawyer and client agree that the lawyer will only perform certain services. The lawyer interviews the client, answers their questions and properly prepares the papers. The Client files the papers and goes to the final hearing.

This is a way to greatly reduce the cost of a dissolution or divorce and still have the benefits of a lawyer interviewing the client, answering questions, and preparing papers.

You can do your own divorce in Ohio with the help of a lawyer and save both on costs and stress!