Publisher's Synopsis
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average woman's family income drops by 37% after divorce. Do you know what assets, or how much alimony or child support you are entitled to receive? Has your spouse threatened to leave you penniless? Have you spoken to an attorney and gotten sticker-shock? This book was written to help low- and moderate-income women navigate the legal system by walking a hypothetical self-represented woman step-by-step through the divorce process, including:
- How to prepare financially to stand on your own two feet;
- What the court can, and cannot do for you;
- 'Legwork' that can save money on legal fees and help you get a better outcome;
- How much child support and alimony you might be entitled to receive;
- Custody disputes ... 'fatal flaws' and how you can fix them.
- What property you are entitled to receive ... and should ask for;
- Ways vindictive ex-spouses can hide money;
- Tricks, traps, and pitfalls highlighted so you can avoid them;
- Mediation and court-connected ADR, benefits and downside;
- How to combine "a la carte" legal services with your own efforts if you can't afford to hire a full-service attorney;
- How to dig up information your spouse doesn't want you to know (discovery);
- Soup-to-nuts divorce procedure, starting with negotiating your own divorce, resolving common issues, all the way through to launching a contested trial;
- Legal pleadings dissected so you don't incur a fortune having routine "boilerplate" language explained;
- "On your feet" hypothetical court hearing scripts so you know what to tell the judge;
- Restraining orders ... how to get one ... how to keep one;
- More...
This soup-to-nuts divorce primer will teach you everything you NEVER wanted to know about divorce ... but need to come up to speed ... FAST!!! This is the only self-help legal guide written by a woman who was once in your shoes who later went back to school to become an attorney.
BONUS: links to download, edit and print the two blank Separation Agreements (with and without children) contained at the end of this book.
Part of the "Divorce Bootcamp Legal Self-Help" lecture series.
KIRKUS: "A solid, informative self-help divorce guide ... covers a range of topics related to contested and uncontested divorces, including how to gather documentation of assets, estimate child support and alimony, and even, if necessary, obtain restraining orders. She discusses many topics related to asset division and child custody, including marital debt and visitation rights. The book is aimed at the broadest possible audience, but also discusses variations in state laws." (Review of the 5th Edition).
The 6th Edition has been completely updated with the latest case law, including ways to sensitively handle a Christian divorce, caveats regarding same-sex couple custody disputes post-Obergefell, and a completely rewritten Separation Agreement chapter with suggested clauses for unusual situations such as extraordinary school fees, private school or homeschooling.
Legal Disclaimer: This book is not meant to constitute legal advice. The author is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts. Links have been provided to direct women to their local court resources in all 50 states, but the court forms, case histories and property division examples used are loosely based upon Massachusetts examples. This book is NOT a replacement for consultation with a licensed local attorney.
