Do It Yourself Divorce Guide from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan

Have you been thinking more and more about getting a divorce? While the divorce rate in the USA hasn't gotten any higher since the COVID-19 pandemic, we all are aware that divorce is not uncommon currently. Many people we know have gotten divorced. It seems like fewer people are staying married for long periods. There are troubling issues out there in the world like an economy that changes frequently and causes fluctuations in the jobs market. There is an endless array of opportunities for a spouse to engage in an extramarital affair what with the internet putting temptation at your fingertips. There is our culture emphasizes anything but monogamy. Put it all together and we have a situation where staying in a marriage is tough.

If you find yourself in a position where it appears that a divorce is on the horizon, then you have some choices to consider. It is not a given that you will have to hire a divorce attorney to represent you in your case. Rather, there is a distinct possibility that you can represent yourself and forego hiring an attorney. There is no requirement for you to hire a divorce lawyer although most people who go through a divorce will choose to do so. Only you can decide whether to hire an attorney for your divorce. This is why gaining information about the divorce process and your case is so crucial. When you can prepare your case for a divorce it means that you will have a good understanding of the issues and whether you need to be able to prepare for using an attorney in your case.

At the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, we take a great deal of pride in being able to serve our community. Whether you are a client of ours or not, we want you to know that we have resources available to any person who is going through a divorce in Texas- or someone who would simply like to learn more about getting a divorce in the Lone Star State. We understand that your divorce is unique to you, your spouse, and your family. Nobody out there besides you has the same, unique combination of factors and circumstances in their divorce that you all are facing. Therefore, we aim to deliver simple, accurate, and helpful information that can propel you forward in your divorce.

Look, nobody reading this blog wants to get a divorce. Yes, your circumstances may be pushing you towards a divorce and you may acknowledge that a divorce is inevitable or at least very likely. However, it isn't like you woke up today, stretched your arms above your head, and thought: "Boy, what a great day for a divorce!" Rather, a divorce is something that tends to land on your doorstep against your will. Whether you are the spouse who is filing for divorce, or you are the one who is responding to a divorce, we have helpful resources which can potentially make a huge difference for you and your family.

With any luck, your divorce will not be the defining moment in your life- for better or worse. So many people get stuck in the doldrums of a divorce while their case is going on that they find it hard to snap out of it and adjust to life once the divorce is done and over with. It can feel like your divorce is never going to come to an end, but I can assure you that it will. One of the ways that you can tell your divorce was a success is that you can adjust to a post-divorce life quickly after your case is over. Have you ever talked to a person who would constantly bring up their divorce? This is the sort of person who, with a glazed look in their eyes, would tell you about the trials and tribulations of divorce in a way that would make you think he just wrapped up the case a month ago. Come to find out, a lot of these folks have seen decades pass by since their divorce was finalized.

What happens in a situation like that is the person had such a bad, traumatic experience with divorce that he cannot get over it. The case has lingered with him for decades. You may have portions of the divorce that stick around after the case is done longer than others. Child support can hang around for up to 18 years (or thereabouts) after the divorce is over. Spousal maintenance usually has a shelf life of ten years or less. You may have some issues with the family home for a few years after the divorce comes to an end. However, most of the issues in your divorce should be buried along with the case itself. Move on with your life. Make this your encore. Not being able to do that from an emotional, financial, or relational perspective speaks to bad events in the case itself.

This is what we at the Law Office of Bryan Fagan want to help you avoid. While some of you reading this blog post may find yourselves in a situation where it is unavoidable that the divorce is going to be difficult, many of you may not even realize how possible it is for you to go through a divorce without having to stress yourself out unnecessarily. While there will assuredly be some stress involved in your divorce you do not need to seek it out unless you have a good reason to do so. Consider this blog post your introduction to an alternative vision of divorce- one where acrimony and fighting are the exception rather than the norm. One where you call the shots, you plan the course and you run the race solo rather than with a lawyer.

In today's blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, we are going to cover the different Do It Yourself Divorce guides that the Law Office of Bryan Fagan has produced for you, our neighbors. Our lead attorney, CEO, and client-oriented founder, Bryan J. Fagan, has devoted his professional life to serving others. These do-it-yourself guides are the culmination of that devotion to meeting people where they are and serving people in the way that makes the most sense for them. As we alluded to earlier in this blog post, every person who goes through a divorce does not necessarily need or want to have an attorney representing him or her. If that sounds like it maybe you then today’s blog post is a must-read.

At its conclusion, if you have any questions about what we have just read please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. Our licensed family law attorneys are here to serve you and assist you in your divorce journey. Even if you are just starting in the process and are not sure if you need to hire an attorney then we can provide you with the foundational knowledge that you need to be able to figure out what direction you need to take your case in. It is not enough that you think you know the answer about whether to hire an attorney. Rather, you need to have a definite plan when it comes to your divorce. As we are fond of saying: you can wander into a divorce, but you cannot wander out of a divorce. Be intentional and act with a plan in mind.

Do you need an attorney in your divorce?

The most basic question to ask yourself at this stage is whether you need to hire an attorney for your divorce. Again, there is no requirement in Texas that you hire an attorney for your divorce. For instance, if you and your spouse have been married a very short amount of time, have no property, share no financial accounts, have no children, and are young then you may be able to go through a divorce with no attorneys on either side. A do-it-yourself divorce guide from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan would be a great thing for you to consider as far as how to proceed with your case. This can offer you the best of both worlds- not having to pay for an attorney but being able to lean on the experience of an attorney in multiple ways.

However, if you and your spouse have been married for an extended period, are no longer in your early twenties, own a marital estate, and have minor children then hiring an attorney for your divorce may be the best course of action for you to take. Certainly, your spouse can decide to not be an attorney but if you think that is in your best interests do not forego hiring an attorney to keep your spouse happy or to stay on their good side. Rather, you should do what you think is best for you and your children if you have any involvement in this divorce.

We do encourage you to think long and hard about whether you should hire an attorney for your divorce. Unfortunately, we see all the time people who decide to represent themselves in a divorce only to quickly find out that it is not something that comes easy to most people, that is advocating for yourself in a Texas divorce. Rather, it is difficult to be able to do this on your own considering your day-to-day responsibilities do not go away simply because you have filed for divorce. If anything, the pace of your life will likely crank up a few notches now that you are getting started in a divorce.

What does buying a particular Do It Yourself Bundle do for you?

This all brings us to the meat and potatoes of today's blog post. We want you to be able to understand what exactly are the options that you can look to when trying to buy a do-it-yourself divorce guide from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. We are not going to be deceptive or try to sell you something with a wink and a nod. Rather, we list out on our website what each divorce "bundle" contains so that you can feel confident that you are buying something that will work well for you.

Let's begin with our Bronze Bundle. Although it is the first do-it-yourself divorce guide on our website, it is far from basic. At the same time, we have worked to ensure that the material contained in your guide is designed so the cookies are within reach of everyone. Meaning- we are not going to try and impress you with the sort of big words we use. Rather, we are going to give you what we think is the most relevant information for a do-it-yourself guide in Texas.

If you have ever wanted to know how the most experienced, client-focused family law office in southeast Texas serves its clients in divorce cases, now is your opportunity to find out. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan offers an all-inclusive divorce guide within its Bronze Bundle. No more wondering about how to start your case. No more worrying about what happens if your spouse can't be found for service of the documents. We will cover all that with you. Being able to know what to do in a divorce is important, but knowing what not to do and potential mistakes to avoid is just as important. We cover this with you in our do-it-yourself divorce guide.

For every detail that our divorce guide does not cover, we still have you covered. You will be able to access our attorneys for advice and coaching even though you have chosen to represent yourself in the divorce. Have a question about how to approach an issue in temporary order negotiations? Contact our office to speak with one of our licensed family law attorneys. What about a particular issue when it comes to your spouse disobeying court orders and dropping your kids off late on a Sunday night before school the next day? We can coach you on how to approach your co-parent about that so that this is the last time he tries to pull that move with you.

One of the most asked questions that we receive when it comes to starting a divorce is not so much what to do, but how to do it. You may know that an Original Petition for Divorce needs to be filed with the district clerk but what exactly is an Original Petition? Where can you get that paperwork? What does it take to draft and file a divorce petition? Is that something that you can do on your own? What if you've never drafted a legal document before? These are all legitimate concerns and questions to have. Nobody feels perfectly confident when beginning a divorce on their own, but the reality of the situation is that you have the tools at your fingertips to proceed if you work at it.

Our Silver Bundle offers you the same, top-notch services and benefits as our Bronze Bundle but at the Silver level, we offer you the services of one of our attorneys to review your forms before you submit them. From experience, it can be difficult to execute a legal form without any experience. If you make a mistake on one of these forms, it can mean having to start from scratch and needing to make corrections along the way. Imagine going to court and having the judge tell you that your paperwork is wrong. Driving down to the courthouse and taking off the morning from work all to be told by a judge that you need to re-draft your paperwork is not a fun experience.

Our Gold Bundle offers the same great benefits as at Silver with the exception that we will be available to you for an entire year. The other bundles are good for a particular month and then you would need to pay another payment towards that service. However, at the Gold level, we will help you for the entirety of one year. This can be a great benefit especially when you consider that many divorces take close to one year to complete. No matter what you are going through in a divorce, the Law Office of Bryan Fagan has services that can be helpful to you. We serve our clients and want to be able to help you as a member of our community, as well. Talk to us about your case and let us see how best we can help you.

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Adobe Stock 62844981[2] If you want to know more about what you can do, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: "16 Steps to Help You Plan & Prepare for Your Texas Divorce"