Should I Represent Myself in Family Court? Written By Sandra McCarthy Founder, A People’s Choice Some unhappily married people complain that they cannot afford to divorce their spouses. Likewise, some fathers hesitate to establish legal paternity for their child born out of wedlock, fearing the legal process is too expensive. Family law attorneys often charge a lot of money for services involving the family courts. In order to save costs, people are now asking themselves, “should I represent myself in family court?” The answer is often “yes,” but you also need to consider your circumstances. What our Clients Say... “Want to personally thank the staff at A People’s Choice for making my divorce process so simple and painless. From my 1st contact in the office, they were was warm and friendly and took the time to explain each step in a very simple and quick manner. Filing for a divorce can be a difficult and painful process and the staff was extremely professional and clear in all guidance and explanations. I highly recommend A People’s Choice.” C. Hannon “I was very happy with the service received. They were extremely responsive by phone and email and completed the document in less than 24 hours! All questions were answered promptly. I would highly recommend this service to anyone needing a legal document prepared!” M.D. “I used A People’s Choice to complete custody paperwork. No disappointment here. The service was easy and painless. It might have been nice to have a discussion by phone, but it was still quite easy and quick via email. Overall, the process was simple and I would use A People’s Choice again.” Michael J. “The service provided by A People’s Choice was very professional and comprehensive. We have used A People’s Choice on a previous occasion and were completely satisfied. We would highly recommend A People’s Choice to anyone!“ R. Betancourt “I can’t say enough about the level of service and professionalism I received working with A People’s Choice. Emails were always responded to quickly and thoughtfully. They really care about the process and helping you get the best result with no up-selling. The process played out according to plan, and I ended up saving a lot of money by going with A People’s Choice over an attorney.” M. Rice “I’ve worked with A People’s Choice since September 2013. They are very knowledgeable and experienced. Their work is done professionally and timely. They show a real concern for my situation. I recommend you give them the opportunity to be of service to you.” D. Echeverra “I used A People’s Choice for filing divorce paperwork for an uncontested divorce. The price was very affordable and fair. Excellent service throughout. Not being able to call and talk on the phone worried me at first but they responded to every email extremely quickly. Directions were very easy to understand. Will definitely use them again if I need. Frank M. “A People’s Choice saved me time, money & hardship. The people are professional and a pleasure to work with, I totally recommend them to everyone! I will used them for all my legal documents in the future. Thank you!” C. Lazalde “Made the process so easy for me. Also VERY prompt replies through email. So glad I used their services.“ Kristina C. “I recently required the help of A People’s Choice, Inc. and found them to be entirely professional. Everything was done in short order yet all was explained to my satisfaction. They were friendly and courteous. I am happy and impressed.” C. Zyobel “So glad I found this company to handle my divorce. They were very professional and detail oriented, answering all of my (many) questions and kept me informed. They handled everything for me from hundreds of miles away and made it pretty seamless. The pricing was in the exact range we were looking for. Very honest company and great to work with!” Jessica J. “I had contacted a lawyer and he wanted to charge me $1800.00. Then I found A People’s Choice. They got my paperwork started and at a much lower cost, and steered me, with the help of lots of paperwork, in the right direction. I am grateful for the company’s services and would recommend them to anyone that may need the services they offer.” April R. “When I first saw all of the documents required to file I was overwhelmed. Already dealing with the stress of everything else, I did not want to deal with the courts, a mountain load of paperwork and trips to file as well. I’m VERY happy that I went with A People’s Choice. They were very helpful, despite all of my questions. I definitely recommend.” M. McCleod “My wife and I needed to have papers filed in court but found traditional lawyers were quite expensive. A People’s Choice did a professional job completing our paperwork and I might say, at a very reasonable price. You can bet I will contact A People’s Choice again if or when the need arises. “ D. Hileman “Divorce is usually never pleasant but A People’s Choice made it much easier than it would have been if we tried to do the divorce paperwork on our own. They were very quick to respond to us and always took the time to answer all of our questions thoroughly, in addition to quickly. I would highly recommend them for handling divorce paperwork.” Susan Z. “A People’s Choice is awesome! They made the legal documentation process painless. I highly recommend A People’s Choice. The name says it all.” Eric J. “Highly recommend A People’s Choice. The customer service and professionalism are exceptional. My documents were delivered to me quickly and accurately. Compared to using an attorney for complete paperwork, this service is only a fraction of the cost, more responsive, and better suited to quickly completing complicated court forms. “ Linda F. “I had the opportunity to use A People’s Choice again, Wow doesn’t say enough for the way the staff was able to get me in and out and all my answers answered. Very P-professional, organized and Friendly. I highly recommend!” Debbie E. “A People’s Choice offers a very professional, low cost service for all sorts of legal paperwork, from living trusts to divorce, bankruptcy and everything in between. If you know what you want to do and don’t need legal advice, I strongly recommend calling this company. You won’t be disappointed and will save lots of money!” Kathryn R. “I thought I could save money and file my own divorce paperwork. The court clerks offer no assistance whatsoever! The best advice I can give is to call A People’s Choice first. They typed up my paperwork and my divorce was final in two weeks! Would highly recommend them to everyone.” L. Bayer “Great service. Highly professional and efficient creating legal documents. I am completely satisfied and highly recommend them to others. I am so glad I found you on the internet. People who are looking for professional legal services look no further, try A People’s Choice.” Radtech N. “This company is excellent! They helped me get through all of my paperwork, submitted it to the court, and now everything is complete. Everything was clear and almost too easy. I saved thousands of dollars!” Seth M. “This team is efficient, professional, ethical and easy to work with. Any of my questions were responded to immediately. They did everything they could to help me. I highly recommend their services.” Leigh A. “A People’s Choice prepares legal documents so you can represent yourself and still look like you know what you’re doing. I utilized their services recently and found them to be professional as well as extremely helpful. I couldn’t be happier.” Evan J. “How much is peace of mind worth to you? This company of hardworking, caring individuals will help you get the job done in the quickest, most efficient way. Conveniently located. Check it out. Thank you!” Diana K. “Just recently moved to the Ventura area and didn’t know of any companies to help me with my legal paperwork. I am glad I chose A People’s Choice. They were very friendly and helped me with my documents in a very efficient way in very little time. Give them a try and you will be writing a positive review just as I did.” D. Buelna “Overwhelmed with my divorce, custody and child support paperwork, A Peoples Choice made everything so much easier and really put my mind at ease. I couldn’t be happier with their assistance and it really made all the process speed up for me. Thank you so much for all your help.” Samantha R. “I would just like to comment on what a great job A People’s Choice did with my divorce. I could not be happier. They let me know how they keep the cost down by communicating through email. I also appreciated how when I had a question they got back with me in the day or in the evening. APeoples Choice is a good deal for the consumer.” R. Leyva “Lightning fast response, I had my very simple document on the same day as my order for the very fair and reasonable price of $325 (including the rush fee!) compared to my attorney who quoted me 3 weeks and $2500. I will definitely use these folks again and highly recommend them!” L. Carnes “A People’s Choice is a business that delivers what they promise. I was treated like a VIP by their staff. As for their services, they promptly delivered all of the official documents and fillings on my behalf and their price is more than reasonable. In short, this is a business that I will always recommend and continue to use. Thank you!” Juan B. “I needed help understanding and filling out legal documents, but I didn’t have enough money to pay for an attorney. The staff at A People’s Choice was very professional and helpful. They took care of all of the paperwork and filings and kept me posted. I would highly recommend them. You will get outstanding service at an affordable price. “Sharon B. “Very professional, excellent follow up and easy to work with. I will recommend them often! The staff rocks!” Gene A. “A People’s Choice is extremely customer orientated and friendly. Their service was fast and reliable. in the future, should I need their services again, I will not hesitate to call them. All e-mails were answered with either a phone call or e-mail sometimes even late at night“ Tar “A People’s Choice helped me with my QDRO. They were very professional and very honest. They saved me a lot of money by having them do all the paperwork. There was no hidden fees. I would recommend A People’s Choice for any of your needs. They are very knowledgeable in what they do. Thank you A People’s Choice for all your help!” Debra H. “Extremely satisfied with the performance of A People’s Choice. The communication was excellent and all was handled in a timely efficient manner. “ Pam T. “I can’t remember how I found A People’s Choice, but am completely satisfied with the service provided. The person I worked with was very friendly whenever we spoke on the phone and always responded promptly to any emails. The entire process was smooth and painless. Would recommend A People’s Choice without hesitation.” Les A. Get help representing yourself in Family Court! START MY FAMILY LAW CASE…or continue reading the article below to learn more about how you can represent yourself in Family Court. Fortunately, many people can successfully represent themselves in many routine family court proceedings. These court processes include the dissolution of marriage, the establishment of paternity, and enforcing and modifying child support orders. With the expansion of non-attorney help, nowadays people in every tax bracket can now afford professional help with common family law matters. These changes allow people to represent themselves in a variety of family court situations such as divorce, legal separation, and even child custody and child support cases. If hiring a lawyer is beyond your budget, but preparing a divorce petition or motion for child support by yourself sounds too risky, a good solution is to represent yourself in family court and have a registered legal document assistant prepare the documents for your case. Representing Yourself in Family Court in a Divorce Spouses that participate in drawn-out court battles are the exception rather than the rule. Today most people just want to get out of their unhappy marriage quickly, and with as few financial losses as possible. It’s even possible for people to complete their entire divorce process through online services without ever going to court. There are many situations where representing yourself in family court is a great, low-cost option. For example, it does not make sense to hire a divorce lawyer when you have these situations: Uncontested Divorce – It is quite easy to represent yourself in family court if you have an uncontested divorce. In this situation, the parties may have initially disagreed. Typically circumstances change, and both spouses have a change of heart and decide settlement is better than a trial. The couple hires a legal document assistant to prepare an agreement that addresses all the issues of their marriage. They sign the Marital agreement and submit it with Judgment documents. The Judge reviews the agreement and approves it. This process avoids a divorce trial, and parties can complete the divorce process without further court hearings since both spouses agree. Default Divorce – It is quite common for people to represent themselves in family court for a default divorce. A default divorce is similar to an uncontested divorce, however, there is a difference. In a true default divorce, the other party does not file a response to the Petition. This can be because 1) your spouse is uncooperative or 2) cannot be found. There is a third scenario; however, that is how most default divorce cases proceed. In many default divorce cases, the parties may agree with each other, just like with an uncontested divorce. The difference is that the Respondent does not file a Response to the original petition, thus avoids having to pay a second court filing fee (currently $435.) In a default divorce process, a legal document assistant can easily get you through the divorce process. Just like an uncontested divorce, the court will make the parties single again and grants the requests in the divorce petition. Furthermore, similarly to an uncontested divorce, a couple can complete a true default divorce without a court hearing. Uncomplicated Divorce – If you have an uncomplicated divorce you should definitely consider representing yourself in family court. In an uncomplicated divorce, the couple divorcing has no children or own property together, so there are no difficult issues for the court to decide. This is common with a short term marriage. Since there are no issues for the court to decide, the matter proceeds as a default divorce described above. In all the above situations, the common component is not having conflict. Since there is no conflict, it is quite easy to represent yourself in family court. Without conflict between the parties, there is nothing to lose. Consequently, hiring a lawyer will not give either party a more favorable outcome than not hiring one. The divorce process just needs to be completed. The parties need to properly complete the paperwork to get their divorce Judgment. In California, family law documents can easily be prepared with the help of a legal document assistant. This makes it possible to easily represent yourself in family court. When You Need to Act Quickly Sometimes emergencies come in up family law matters. For example, you may need an emergency custody order or a restraining order. Although these situations may seem scary, you may be surprised that a legal document assistant can easily help you with these matters. Hiring a lawyer in a family law emergency situation can often waste valuable time, not to mention money. A legal document assistant is often more prepared to provide clients with a quick turn around for the preparation and filing of the required documents. If you need temporary, emergency child custody or support orders. or a restraining order, you really don’t need to hire a lawyer. Affordable Family Law Documents Prepared Professionally Representing yourself in your family law case is the wisest choice in many common situations. Contact A People’s Choice so we can help you with the necessary forms for your divorce, child support, paternity, or child custody case. Get your documents prepared by a professional legal document assistant and save thousands of dollars as compared to an attorney. Call today at 800-757-2780. Get help with your Legal documents today! A People’s Choice can save you hundreds of dollars by preparing your legal documents instead of an expensive attorney! GET STARTED!Was this article helpful? We would love to know your thoughts! If you found this article helpful, please check the LIKE button below. Your feedback helps us plan topics for future articles. By Sandra McCarthy|March 22nd, 2020|Family Law|Comments Off on Should I Represent Myself in Family Court?