Do It Yourself Divorce - Process, Procedure, and Options in Arizona

There are many reasons to get a divorce, and your reason is just as valid as any other. Some of them have methods to help mend wounds and allow couples to fix their marriage. Other causes are irreversible, and no one expects those who feel wronged by these actions to seek anything but divorce.

For example, in cases where spousal abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, infidelity and other legal and moral violations occur, you may very well prefer to have an attorney and go to court, have restrictions put in place, and move on with your lives.

When the marriage has simply soured, and both parties argue constantly, ceasing to agree on issues, finances or the future, then it's possible to do finalize your divorce yourself without going to court, either with a DIY divorce kit, a document preparation firm or Assisted Divorce.

Hiring an Attorney
This is the most common method for divorce, is well advertised, is easily accessible and gives you many options. If you know someone who is an attorney, all the better. Of course, the attorney you know probably knows your spouse as well, so that may not be an option.

The downside of having an attorney is that your divorce will take on a more adversarial feel, will require more time and money, and may require you to testify in court. The benefit is certified legal advice that you can count on, and an agent who can help not only set up your divorce, but also file for other legal restrictions like restraining orders and the like.

Do It Yourself Divorce Forms
You can get a packet of DIY forms from a variety of places, including some attorney's offices. A quick search on the Internet will turn up several options. DIY divorce forms are useful if you and your spouse have already talked about how you want to break things up, and you already agree on how to do that. This method is best if you simply want divorce and it's not a messy breakup, and does not include children or pets.

DIY forms are not suitable for sorting out divorce versus legal separation (depending on state), and are not recommended if you are trying to sort out responsibilities with children, pets and cohabitation. This is the least expensive option, but gives you no assistance for answering questions you may have.

Document Preparation Firm
Like DIY forms, a document preparer is giving you the direct route to a divorce by streamlining the divorce paperwork, which for many couples is the only hindrance. Document preparers are qualified to process divorce papers and are knowledgeable with many issues involved.

The downside is that for couples who have complex legal issues, children and/or pets, many document preparers do not have the experience or education to provide legal advice and so may fall short to answer questions and provide advice that you need to make a decision. As with DIY forms, you can negotiate and work together to come up with fair terms for a divorce, but there are limitations to what you can accomplish. Cost will be higher than with DIY forms as you are also paying for someone's time, but you will get more assistance as a result.

Assisted Divorce
Assisted Divorce is a melding of the best of all three processes to create one flexible method for processing a divorce. It starts with the proper forms, includes the services of a document preparer to help shape the terms of the divorce, keeps a mediator on hand to help sort out more complex issues that don't come to agreement, and also keeps an attorney on hand to assure the legality and expedite the processing of the finished paperwork, while providing legal advice as needed to both parties.

Assisted Divorce costs less than going to court with an attorney, but is affordable compared to DIY forms and document preparers while providing a good balance of personnel to process paperwork, guide the negotiation and provide an attorney for legal advice.

Chances of Receiving Benefits, By Method

Divorce Method

Legal Advice

Conflict Advice

Processing Advice

Reduced Cost

Simple To Do

Remain Friends

Attorney

High

High

High

No

No

No/Low

DIY Forms

No

No

No

High

Low

Low/High

Doc Prep

No

Low/High

Low/High

Low

Low

Low/High

Assisted

High

High

High

Low

Low

Low/High

Agreement House provides Assisted Divorce in Arizona which gives divorcing couples the best of both worlds - the certainty and legal authority of on-site attorneys with decades of experience as well as the negotiation, emotional support and preparation abilities of trained mediators and document preparers, all allowing you to come to your own decisions on what's best for both parties.

For a comparably low cost, couples that have figured out some or most of the details of their divorce can get assistance in putting it in writing, getting help with a mediator to smooth over difficult issues that may arise, and have the entire process overseen by an attorney to make sure that all procedures are followed and timely processing is assured.

The process is both helpful to your goals, while letting both parties make decisions for themselves, and is a complete program ensuring the best possible result.

The process is simple:

Come to our offices with your partial or complete breakdown of issues and how they will be split up or resolved. You can then meet with a mediator to discuss the objectivity of decided issues and discuss methods for sorting out unresolved issues. At this stage you can also meet with one of our attorneys to discuss more difficult legal issues.

Once all issues are resolved, our certified document preparers complete all the documents necessary to file for divorce and those documents will be reviewed by our divorce attorneys to make sure everything is in order. Once everything is in order, both parties come in to sign the documents and then we submit them to the court. This process takes about 1-2 weeks to complete, after which you only have to wait for the 60 day waiting period to expire (mandatory cool-off period in Arizona, your state may vary).

Once the cool-off period has elapsed after date of filing, we file the remaining follow-up documents and once the court has approved them, the divorce is complete, finalized and both parties are free to do as they wish.

One of the benefits of Assisted Divorce is that we can begin filing for divorce even if you don't have every detail sorted out. In the event that you need additional help to reach an agreement, a mediator is available to provide guidance and support for your decisions, and if then if there are issues that can't be sorted out, other legal options such as arbitration are available. Other documents are available as well, and if desired, a certified divorce attorney can be made available to oversee more complex legal issues. Additional mediation, arbitration or legal advice carries additional cost.

If you are having trouble agreeing, but don't want to go to court, you may be interested in Agreement House's new courtless mini-trial solution.

Instead of gearing up for going to court, which can take as much as 10 months to get on the court schedule, you can instead have a mini-trial at Agreement House's comfortable offices.

More information on this Arizona Divorce option.

Agreement house provides Arizona divorce mediation from our offices in Ahwatukee (off the I-10, near IKEA and the Tempe Auto Mall), convenient to the Metro Phoenix Arizona area and the East Valley (Chandler, Mesa, Tempe and Gilbert).

Call today for more information and to set an appointment: 480-496-2201