DIY Divorce and Separation: The Expert Guide to Representing Yourself

An essential guide offering specific assistance to litigants in person. It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ... This book is your first step to understanding the options available to you and the themes and issues that you will encounter as you embark upon self-representation and the resolution of your family dispute. Breaking up is hard to do. It can also be a costly affair when you factor in legal fees. If you are looking to represent yourself in court or thinking about going directly to a barrister to save money, this book will de-mystify the legal process and arm you with the know-how and confidence to achieve a successful outcome. Written by a team of leading family law barristers, the book takes you through the process of splitting up, tells you what preparation is essential for court and helps you decide exactly when professional support is required. As well as chapters on the different aspects of divorce and separation, from children to financial remedies, the book includes essential concepts, a toolbox guide to the applications that can be made, sources for further research and tips and traps. What's in the book? Initial considerations Tips on how to think like a family lawyer Guidance on bringing the marriage/civil partnership to an end Instructions relating to preparing a case Information on areas such as advocacy, domestic violence, children and finances

An odd post for a bargain hunter you may think, but I have two friends who have paid out a lot while getting divorced, and so am interested in finding advice for another two who are going through divorces now ;-(. From the two recently divorced friends one paid £40,000 in solicitor s fees to get her ex out of her house. The other got £4,000 out of a possible £30,000 because her legal costs took up the rest. I got hold of a sort of bible I would say for all those divorcing, whether they DIY or not DIY Divorce and Separation, an expert guide to representing yourself. It demystifies the legal process and provides the parties involved with the know-how and confidence to handle a divorce themselves or understand what your barrister is actually saying. The book is written by barristers from 1 Garden Court Family Law Chambers. The need for such a book is understandable as legal aid is drying up and divorcees chose to use legal representation as and when necessary. Written in easy to understand plain English the book has information on all the key areas of a divorce from how best to make your case at court , domestic violence , obtaining money for your children from court and enforcement of court orders . Each chapter ends with interesting dos and don ts and throughout the book handy websites that can offer additional information are cited. The very useful eight page glossary and explanation of legal terms will help you navigate the jargon you may encounter. Alongside the book is a very practical website providing further helpful guidance, including steering you through completing divorce forms, plus links to useful organisations diydivorce.familylaw.co.uk. However, before you buy the book or head to the website, here are some of the dos and don ts I liked best: Do be prepared to think flexibly about the issues in dispute Do be prepared to adopt a pragmatic was approach if necessary Do be realistic about what a court can and cannot do in a practical basis Do think carefully about what evidence you need to present your case to its best advantage Don t adopt an approach that relies on your perceived rights or entitlements Don t criticise the other party unnecessarily unless their behaviour is particularly relevant to the other issues that the court needs to determine Good luck if you are going through this tough time. --www.mrsbargainhunter.co.uk

The DIY Divorce & Separation Expert Guide to Representing Yourself has come out at a time when more parents (and Grandparents) find themselves in family courts having to represent themselves. This book is certainly timely. We are going to suggest at the outset that if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to attend family court, this book will make for a most sensible purchase. The authors describe the book as "law lite". As a layman who has represented himself in court, I found the content well laid out, clear, and most informative. They have included a useful glossary of terms (the UK legal system still uses words that aren't used in everyday speech), and the indexing allows for quick, efficent access to particular areas of law. Who should read this book? Well, it's been designed for Litigants in Person (LiPs) but we would suggest anyone going through the family justice sytem would do well to have a copy by their side, even if represented by a professional - it's simply more reassuring to have your own knowledge of the processes adopted by the courts - and this book gives you the near perfect tool. I say "near". The one thing I would have liked to have seen is a few (boxed or shaded?) quotations from family members who have found themselves going through particular areas of family law. The first thing - the very first thing - we tell all mums and dads who contact us is to prepare for an emotional onslaught if they chose to go to court. A book like this can't do everything however! Well done to the team of barristers at 1 Garden Court for preparing and writing this book - one can only imagine the pains they put themselves through to get the order, layout, and content so clear. It really does make a minefield navigable! --OnlyDads