Reply to Has anyone ever successfully represented themselves in a divorce?

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[quote=Anonymous]Ex-DH and I did in part, but we are (non-family law) attorneys so drafting legal documents and being in court was not intimidating. We also acted like adults and came to an agreement between ourselves on all terms without third party counsel.

Our process:
- We each did a quick consult with an attorney and each paid a $5K retainer. On my end, it was to have her run up a child support calculator (I pay) and confirm what I had researched re: division of assets, child custody, etc. On his end, it was to make sure his rights were protected (e.g., QDRO, home appraisal and my buy out, etc.).
- I did my research and drafted a 30 page separation agreement, Maryland court documents, and QDRO.
- I had my attorney do a once-over of the document (she made several minor changes), gave it to ex-DH, and his lawyer did a review. We went through about 5 drafts between ex-DH and I.
- He physically filed the docs, we represented ourselves pro se during the court hearing that lasted all of 15 minutes, and a month later we received the divorce decree.

This only worked because of the following factors: (1) We were cordial and could work everything out without resorting to outside counsel; (2) I was able to draft a very detailed agreement that made the court process straightforward. That said, we did have a conversation with attorneys to confirm our understanding of Maryland family law and what we should expect.  We came out of pocket probably around $2-3K on lawyer's fees when all was said and done and received the delta back from the retainers, which we equally split.

I could have gone all fire and brimstone (he cheated), but it doesn't harm anyone but me in the end.[/quote]

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