hi
>>>>catherine wrote >>>>1Recognizing that laws differ from place to place, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has handled a divorce in their own - with no lawyer, or with only minimal use of lawyers. I have a friend who has done this & will discuss with her, but I'm appalled at how lawyers approach everything from an extremely adversarial position (when in most cases, it isn't necessary) and frankly, can't afford it. I'm not in a situation where either party could benefit to any great degree by going through this. If you've been through this and don't mind sharing, could you please contact me off-list to let me know how it went for you?<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< i guess that the key to a quick and easy settlement is the attitude of both parties.... i went through a divorce around about two and a half years ago. since it was uncontested and pretty much amicable, i didnt want to spend a fortune on fancy lawyers. the route i took was to look in the local classifieds under the personals. i found a lawyer who was prepared to do the whole process for a fixed fee of R 850.00 (around USD 85.00 now - then it was probably around usd 100). the whole process was very quick and smooth, and i got some really good advice from the lawyer despite the ridiculously low cost. another alternative which i contemplated at the time was purchasing a do it yourself divorce kit. im not sure what the status is where you are, but here they are available at some of the better bookshops for a very low price. they have all the guidelines, forms, advice etc. that you need. i decided not to go this route, as, despite being very amicable, it was still a painfull process,and i didnt want to have to deal with all the extra technicalities myself. not a decision to be made easily or painlessly, i hope and pray you make the right decision for you, and that it works out well. in my particular case, despite the pain of the process, and the period of healing afterward, i am happy that i made the right mistake :-) ron
