Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce - Emily Doskow [179]
If you want to look at more titles, check out www.gooddivorce books.com.
Getting Divorce Information and Forms
If you're doing all or part of your divorce yourself, you'll need to find forms and information about the process. Here's how.
When it comes to the court's fill-in-the-blanks forms, you can get most of what you need at your local court. Just walk in and ask the clerk how to get your hands on them. The clerk may send you to the nearby county law library for the forms, but more likely you'll have them handed across the counter to you. They'll probably include some instructions or information about how to get started on your divorce.
There is a mind-boggling amount of information about divorce available on the Internet-you could literally spend clays exploring websites that give away or sell information, forms, and services to divorcing spouses. From government-sponsored sites on clown to commercial sites trying to make a quick buck, there's a broad spectrum of quality and usefulness. Here is some help sorting through it all to find useful information about your divorce, whether you are looking for your local court's website or want to use an interactive program to fill out your divorce forms.
Court and Court-Related Websites
Many court websites have extensive, free general information about state divorce laws, along with local court rules and forms. Check the list below for the best site in your state for finding information and forms. If the court website doesn't offer much, you'll find Web addresses for the state bar or a local law school-the most likely candidates for offering information and forms.
If you simply want to find information about where your local court is, which branch you should use, filing fees, or clerk's hours, you can usually find a direct link to the court website at www.statelocalgov.net or www.ncsconline.org.
And although it doesn't fit neatly into one of the state boxes, don't forget www.irs.gov, where the IRS offers free information about all the tax issues related to divorce (specific publications are identified throughout this book).
State websites will help you calculate child support. Most states also have sites dedicated specifically to helping you calculate child support. There's a list of those sites in Chapter 8.
Best Court and Court-Related Websites
Best Court and Court-Related Websites (continued)
Best Court and Court-Related Websites (continued)
Best Court and Court-Related Websites (continued)
Best Court and Court-Related Websites (continued)
Other Websites
There are many, many commercial (and some nonprofit) websites that contain legal information about divorce. Some have a specific bent, like www.divorceasfriends.com, which encourages people to work toward an amicable divorce whenever possible, www.father .com, which focuses on issues of interest to divorcing dads, and www.womansdivorce.com, which directs advice and information at divorcing women.
Lots of individual lawyers and law firms maintain websites and, increasingly, blogs, with free information about their state's laws. Some include forms-even when the state fails to make the forms available online. Try entering your state's name and the word "divorce" into a search engine like Google or Yahoo, and look at some lawyers' websites. You can find a great deal of state-specific information that way. You might even find a lawyer you want to work with. You can't always rely on these sites to be current, though, so be careful.
The following chart lists some websites and blogs that offer useful information, links, and resources.
You can buy divorce "kits" online that purport to include all the paperwork you'll need, that can be purchased for under $50, but you'll get what you pay for-the marital settlement agreement forms won't be state-specific, and the other court forms may not be current. Your forms may be rejected by