How did you file a divorce with no money?

Hey mamas, any of you went through a divorce with no money cause you were a stay at home mom and your husband has all the money? How did you pay your lawyer? And did he try to fill custody to not pay child support? How did you pay a lawyer when he got money, and you don’t have absolutely anything. Thank you!

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in Ohio you can get a divorce packet from the library, fill it out and file it with the courts. be sure to file and indigence form with it

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Most counties have a financial paper you can fill out just call county clerks office! Just court fees… and if y’all agree shouldn’t have to have lawyers

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I got legal assistance from the county.

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Invtexas In Texas you can get court fee excusedif excused if you are under a certain income. There is also a site with the forms you need and instructions on how to do it.

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Legal aide in NY has classes that walk you through filling out the uncontested divorce packet and when/how you should file the paperwork

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Just bc you don’t work IT IS STILL YOUR MONEY.
I went through a divorce and my parents helped me pay for my lawyer but you can file asking that he pays for all legal fees, worst that can happen is that is denied. Use DSS, Lutheran Social Services, anything. They are there to help.

Husband pays for your lawyer

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Call your local courthouse I’ll have a legal aid department that will help you file the paperwork and all and by the way if you’re married that’s not just his money it’s your money too

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In Texas, check with Legal Aid. They did my divorce.

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Free legal aide it was a snap…too easy almost.

Legal Aid in Pennsylvania

The income your husband brings home is still you’re income. You are entitled to use it- even if it’s for a divorce attorney.

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In some states if he’s the money maker you can get a lawyer and he will have to pay for it

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Legal aid look up legal services

Any good attorney will take your case and make your husband pay for it

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2nd divorce was uncontested so all i did was print divorce papers off with a waiver form and had my exhusband sign his part and have it notorized and turned them in. I went b4 the judge right after and walked out divorced for free.

Start stashing cash, get cash back when you shop. $20 here, $20 there…

I signed up for legal shield. I didn’t pay a dime

Look up low income lawyers in your county. Sometimes your county will have programs for free or low cost lawyers based on your income. I used on in Illinois when I got divorced.

Represent yourself.all u need is stuff u can use against him.go in there cool and calm,do not belittle him just state facts that are true and if asked present the judge paper evidence of any alligations against the ex.tell the judge what u want and why

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When I went through my divorce I found an attorney that set up a payment plan with me

Legal aid will help you when you have no way to pay. You don’t have to pay for filing, court costs, ect. The lawyer they assign to you does everything for you in a timely manner and is constant contact with you. I would highly recommend calling them.

In you’re in LA county
Message me

I got a probono lawyer, we have a legal aid type here… filled out the paperwork, and then just waited

You can apply for an exemption of fees, legal aide might help, also request that he pays for your lawyer. Since he controls all the money in the marriage you can claim financial abuse/control. As far as custody he’s most likely going to get 50/50 unless you have proof abuse, neglect or otherwise unfit (does drugs, lives with a drug dealer for examples).

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My state allows you to file on your own( we agreed to certain terms, so it was easy) chikd support was through the state as part of the divorce with children… they set the amount based on income of each party.

My ex had to cover my attorney fees and all court cost because I was a stay at home mom when we where married.

If u were a stay at home mom u gave up any outside work to have your full time job without pay at home where I live that gives you child support and alimony if u have no income all court filing fees are free and the court can give u a list of free lawyers that will handle family court cases. Good luck !

Legal aid if you have grounds

its all up to the state you live in. if you’re able, visit your local county courthouse and go to the department where you file for the divorce. tell them your BASIC case, aka, SAHM mom, no money of your own, no income, husband makes and keeps all the income and that you’d like to file for divorce but don’t know how to start. they should be able to help you

There a affidavit that I did and didnt need legal aid or a lawyer and mine was free this was in 2013 and I helps my ex fiancee’s sister with hers in 2018 the same affidavit I did and hers was free too

Legal aid. Also, if he has money, he may have to cover it.

Divorce with children can get very expensive. My parents helped me by loaning me the money- and I went back to working a good job full time within 6 weeks. My advice: play nice until you have a financially feasible exit planned.

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If u go online u cant print the forms and fill them out all u have to do is pay filing fees

Speak with a local divorce attorney. You may be able to find one that offers free consultations or charges a minimal consultation fee. Inquire if you can have a motion filed for your spouse to be ordered to pay your legal fees. You can contact your local county lawyer referral service for a referral to a divorce attorney who is qualified and in good standing.

I borrowed money from my grandparents. My ex wouldnt file for the divorce and I went 9 months without any financial help. My grandpa gave me the money and told me to file and make my ex help with his kids. I was able to pay them back with money I got from the divorce. If you cant borrow from family I’d possibly make a go fund me for atleast the retainer fee.

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I did it on my own with help from a lawyer at the courthouse. I was only allowed to talk to her 3 times for free, but she absolutely helped answer all my questions. It also helped that we only had kids together so there wasn’t a need to split assets.

There is no such thing as “his” money when you’re married…he may think that but the courts do not. You are able to legally take half to leave or secure legal counsel.

Since your getting a divorce, all money in all accounts should be split 50/50. Also, custody should be 50/50 (unless there is abuse on either side). Make it fair and amicable so you can avoid court.

If you’re still married then you’re entitled to half the money. Stay at home mom or not. Get a consult with a divorce attorney. Some do the consult for free so just call around until you find one. Your husband can’t legally cut you off without some type of support if you’re a stay at home mom. Especially if you’ve always been one.

My lawyer knew my ex and his girlfriend. He hates them both he knew I made less then $500 a month he did mine for free

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He has to cover it since he is the “monied spouse” it’s a law

When you file your paperwork file for a fee waiver. Use the self help office usually provided at the courthouse to get help from the paralegals to fill out paperwork. You can do most filing by yourself. Talk to attorneys who offer free consultations to get an idea what can be done for you. Many times in filing and court proceedings you can request the court orders the other side pays your attorney fees. May not always get granted but it’s always worth a shot.

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U can print out all u need at your local library.

I filed my own divorce, without a lawyer and the fees were waived because I was low income. I bought this Michigan Divorce book that helped and had all the forms

File on your own and also file for indigency because you have no income which will waive all filing fees…

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There should be a child support calculator on the states website. The judge would use that calculation. Don’t agree w what ur ex wants to do always use the calculation

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Good luck!!! Hard to prove a mother fit to take care of a child with being a stay at home mom with Zero income!!! If he is the one with the income an is the only one who will be able to financially take care of the children then it only makes sense for him to get full,physical&soul custody of the children…

Legal aid of East Tennessee is who I used. They will help u fill out the paperwork without a lawyer needing to be paid. U can assign the filing fee at the courthouse to your husband and it’s a totally free divorce. There are also custody papers u can file with the divorce.

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Contact your state’s bar association and ask if they have a list of pro bono attorneys. Attorneys are required to perform a certain number of pro bono work every year. Also, look up the organization Father’s Without Custody and they can help you out as well with pointing you in the right direction.

You don’t have to pay your lawyer until settlement.Dont worry the lawyer will make sure you get something at settlement .They make sure that their going to get paid

A forma pauperis is a waiver that allows you to ask the courts to wave court fees and filing fees .
If you need a attorney
Call the county and ask for legal assistant or google legal aid .
If they cant represent you they can help you with legal questions etc
I am going through a divorce myself right now. No children with him so its been easy .
If you have children and custody is a issue . i would make sure you get a attoney

Your local courthouse should be able to give you contact information for free legal council. I myself worked a part time job while raising 3 small children and used the free legal council and they were great! I had one specific attorney for my case

All courts have a self help center. Your fees will be waived due to your income. The judge will not award sole custody to any parent unless there are safety concerns and even if he gets 50/50 custody he will have to pay you child support and spousal support depending on length of marriage. I did my entire divorce by myself but was blessed for a lawyer to take my case on pro bono at the end to help me get a motion to move to different county due to his abusiveness.

I got divorced for a total of under $40. Neither of us had lawyers and he didnt pay either. I had to pay for the paperwork packet to file for divorce. (Around $23) Once I completed it, I filed for indigency (meaning I couldn’t afford to pay) and was approved. It was about $12 for the copies he was served with (indigency covered that having him served).

He works off the books so he doesnt have provable income (even though he makes a good amount of caah) and when they tried to make him pay, he claimed indigency as well and didn’t pay a dime. (The filer usually would pay the fees).

We have 4 children and didnt not own property to fight over.

Needless to say, I’m happily divorced for under $40!

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Free legal help look it up

You can file for a fee waiver

I had to pay mine on payments.

I went through legal aid

I went to legal aid and they had a law firm that took a few domestic violence cases pro bono. He didn’t have money either. I was able to use my maiden name again and got child support but no spousal support which was ok with me.

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I did majority of my paperwork on my own and the rest was done by a paralegal. I was able to make payments. I always represented myself.

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In my area the agency that handles energy assistance also has legal aid, about all of the help I could get at the time was all of the paperwork to fill out and file, there is also a way to have court fees waved in most states you will have to either call the courthouse about that or talk to legal aid. You do not have to have an attorney to file and get a divorce, but it does help, some attorney will fill out paperwork so your husband has to pay their fees. But the best place to start is legal aid. Good luck.

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First he has to.pay child support but do rely on it, you now need to go to the state apply for everything u can, and file your own divorce papers, look for lawyers who help stay at home mothers, or will give you free advice I did my own without a lawyer, you can do it dont let him drag you down

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My divorce cost me $250 it was not contested we agreed on everything including me getting sole full custody of our kids and child support. We printed the papers of internet we filled them out took the to courthouse, paid amour. 90 days later we were legally divorced. We even sat at same table in front of the judge.

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I was always a stay at home Mom,He was the one that filed for the divorce so I requested to the courts he pay my lawyer and mediation fee,s.The court granted my request and he had to pay for everything

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When my brother got a divorce. He printed the papers off from the internet filled them out took to court house and payed the fee and filed them.

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My daughter did her own divorce by going to the court house and they had an office that gave her use of the computer and how to instructions…

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Currently my husband is paying a lawyer to avoid paying for half of his childs daycare. I’m representing myself even tho I have no money and no income coming in right now. You can do it! Just reach out to your local law library, ask around to some friends who went through this, you can do it!

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I utilized free consultations. I would listen to what the attorneys office said they would do and take some steps forward and then go to another one to find out the next step to take.

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Legal aide or go to DSS (DHHS) whatever they call it where you live. If he is wealthy get pro bono attorney.

File for separate maintenance; whatever you do, DO NOT use the same lawyer. I did that and it was a big mistake.

I started getting alimony and child support before I got divorced and started working part-time so with that I paid lawyer.

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I moved 2000 miles away from mine waited a year used income tax money for the retainer fees then filed 3 days after I sent the papers he died of a heart attack. All in all I think I paid about 1000 for everything

Check with your state, there is usually some free legal aide if you google legal aide and your state

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It depends on where you live, but most states have a legal aide, usually tied to that states bar association, otherwise if you don’t have a ton of assets, it’s super easy to do it yourself with the help of your county clerk and you ask for relief from paying the filing fee, in my state you are declared “indigent” and the divorce doesn’t cost you anything. However if you have a ton of assets, I would recommend seeking an attorney, most attys will ask that the other side pay your attys fees, or they will take pymt plans. For custody, I’ve seen people try to get 50/50 custody just to get away with paying child support but, again, in my state, it’s based on in an income calculation and nights spent with the other parent along with several other factors like health ins, etc.

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Go to the court house they have paper work for many different situations
Also try to find a pro bono lawyer

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There is something called In Forma Pauperus (sp) it basically means you have no money. I filed my divorce with that. I’m in MN, not sure if they have this in other states. Worth checking out

When I did they had free legal advice at the courthouse that helped you work through the paperwork

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No lawyers just 200 bucks and I’m divorced :slightly_smiling_face:

Is Hurd but impossible the imposible living the life with a self fish person the legal id on you area and also some city’s have shelters for women’s who decide to change your life go for remember the difficult part is take the decision when you decide is a blessing you deserve have a happy lifestyle.

Look for a divorce attorney & alot of times they will go pro bono for you

I went to the legal aid in our city. They hooked me up with a pro bono lawyer.

If you can agree on everything please keep your kids out of the courts. Ladies please do not punish and hold these kids away from their father. Fathers do not say bad things about their mothers. This is hard on these kids. Doesnt matter the circumstance. The papers you fill out are so easy. Ince you get greedy is when trouble starts. I have helped people complete more papers than I care to. Your kids will suffer. All you need to do is file the divorce papers. Agree on child support and visitation. If then one or the other does not abide then you will need to take action but I beg you please do not use your precious children as a pawn.

Legal aid, or draft and file on your own. Most clerks office have an application to have your filing fees waive (determined indigent).

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You can file at your courthouse free of charge in indiana if you have kids

If he doesnt contest it you can do a lot online and file my daughter did

The situation u describe it’s exactly what I’m faced with and they system has no real help I have definitely found that out- it looks like there’s so much help and support but actually getting it is impossible. I have four kids married 20 years and I’m homeless car less no insurance none of my children have their belongings nor I and if not for my parents we would be living on street and he hired lawyers to fight patting support

U could always file indegent. Its a seperate form and states that u r unable to pay due to ur circumstances

My husbands ex printed everything up. Filled it all out. Had what needed to be signed legally signed and presented to court. Google divorce paperwork. They did it very quickly

I’m in Minnesota and I went through Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services or smrls for short. They helped me through the whole process.

In the divorce the husband agrees to pay your lawyer.

I went through my states legal aide

Contact legal Aid in your city or do it yourself with the courthouse

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Legal aid. Some lawyers will let you make payments also.

My ex wanted the divorce so I made him pay all my fees.

I divorced using a para legal
I really had little money but I paid.

You can call legal aide and they will send you paperwork and all the instructions to do it yourself

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In NC u can file ur own divorce and file indigent for free.

Land of Lincoln Legal Aid