Divorces are a bitter pill to swallow, but they are also the last resort when the relationship with your spouse is not working out anymore. For your divorce, you may be considering a family lawyer. But there is a type of divorce that doesn’t need a divorce lawyer. Here is everything you need to know about a pro se divorce.

Pro Se Divorce

Pro se is a Latin word that means “on your behalf”. This is not considered to be a legal divorce process because you are representing yourself instead of a lawyer. This type of divorce is easier to handle and it takes a lot less time to get completed, but it is only advised when you have no complicated matters going on in your personal life and also there is no involvement of children or joint assets. It’s pretty much a cut-and-done case and it is deemed as an amicable divorce.

Advantages Of Pro Se Divorce

It Is Inexpensive

In this divorce process, you don’t have to involve any sort of legal team in order to file a complaint. As you are representing yourself instead of a lawyer, you are saving a lot of money on this fact alone. You are also not paying obnoxious amounts of money to a legal team for them to make your decisions and have the petition mailed to your spouse whatsoever. You have complete freedom over the case and it is quite a good option if you are not financially independent and can’t bear divorce costs.

It Is Less Time Consuming

Anything which involves lawyers and legal teams is going to take a good chunk of time to proceed to completion. With a pro se divorce though, you are the driving force of the process and you can wrap these things up as quickly as you can. This is better for both parties since no one wants to drag out a divorce process for a long time.

It needs to be completed in a short amount of time so that both people can go their separate ways and live their respective lives. This divorce process is a quick one and it takes less than a few weeks for everything to get settled.

No Lawyer Needed

Having no lawyers to make decisions for you and your life can be a good thing because most couples don’t want to get a third party aka a lawyer involved in their divorce process, because there is a lot of unwanted tension between the parties. Not to mention, it also costs a lot of money to hire a lawyer and you would much rather use this money to support yourself after the divorce is settled. It really is a relief that you don’t get to spend a lot of money on lawyers.

Disadvantages Of Pro Se Divorce

It Can Be A Risk

While a pro se divorce can be a good and cheap option, it can also be a risk if you are not well educated on the legal side of things. Since you don’t have a lawyer guiding you through the necessary steps, it is important that you make calculated decisions based on facts and not on emotions.

The last thing you want is to be left with nothing at the end of the divorce because of your decision-making. This can be a huge risk, so it’s better to think about your options and not jump to the conclusion that a pro se divorce is the best, just because it’s cheap.

You Can’t Be Legally Protected

Since you can’t have a lawyer represent you in the divorce process, you will also get no legal security. You are essentially on your own and this can be a hard thing to deal with, especially if you have no idea what to do in a pro se divorce. This is why people hire lawyers in order to get a good insight and guidance on what is the next best step to take in the proceeding, to get fruitful results.

Conclusion

There you have it! A pro se divorce is a better option if you feel like you can’t afford the legal fees and want a divorce which is easy on the cost side of things. But if your spouse hires a lawyer, you must look for top rated divorce lawyers Fairfax VA to battle your case.