What is the most economical way for us to get uncontested divorce? 8 Answers as of January 18, 2012

I am an attorney and so it is understandable that I would not recommend a Paralegal or an online Kit. The online documents have the edge in my mind because a Paralegal cannot practice Law without a license, and that is just what they are doing when they do Dissolutions for people. If you want to be sure it is done right, pay an attorney a flat fee to get it done.

It is more cost-efficient in the long run to get your diddolution completed correctly. My advice is to contact an attorney - but make it clear that you don't need "representation", you have an agreement and you just need a written marital settlement agreement and judgment paperwork.

You can shop around to see what prices you can get. Our firm offers a flat fee for uncontested cases and I believe our prices are outstanding and hard to match even by paralegals. So, you could have an attorney assisted divorce case without having it cost you a lot.

Find a mediator who is also a family law attorney. There are several lawyers that will advertise "divorce without court." This would be your best course of action. It is extremely important that the mediator be a family lawyer because they know the legal issues that could cause a negotiated agreement to be rejected or unenforceable. Settlement agreements have to have the correct statutory language to make the judgment valid and enforceable. Your best bet is to use a family law mediator. I would be very cautious of paralegals who know enough to make problems later, and online divorce kits. Sometimes the cheap turns out to be more expensive in the long run. The law changes constantly and what was correct last month may not be correct today. You can also go to your local self-help center where they have attorneys supervising the situation, but you may both have to spend an entire day waiting to get in.

You would get the cheapest divorce by utilizing the assistance of volunteers at your local Superior Court's self-help clinic.

There is an economical way and a right way to get an uncontested divorce case properly completed. Unfortunately, I have seen too many examples of divorces improperly prepared by well meaning self represented litigants and paralegals. Please consult with an experienced family law attorney in a free initial consultation to explore your legal options. Knowledge is power.

The best way to do this is to have one attorney write up an uncontested marital settlement agreement. Each of you have the chance to review it with independent counsel if you wish. Otherwise, the attorney (who does not represent either party) writes up the agreement and you both sign it before a notary. It is important to have an experienced family law attorney write up the agreement as opposed to a paralegal. You get what you pay for and I have fixed many mistakes from paralegals, which costs the clients more money than what they would have spent on an attorney. If you call around, you will find that attorneys can write up uncontested Marital Settlement Agreements for less than you think.

You can both go to your local court's free self-help center. Sometimes you have to wait in line and the service is not as good as hiring a private lawyer. Yet, it's free. Another option is to hire a family law mediator/attorney. Such person will act as a neutral and draft up all the necessary papers for you and can even file them with the court. I would not recommend using a non-lawyer, as mistakes can be made that will cost more to fix than simply do it right the first time.