do i need to get a lawyer

[milanese]

we were only together for 6 mos. had nothing together, my child isn't his, etc. i have a do-it-yourself kit. but it talks about cooperating in doing the divorce. i'm not sure where he is. can i still use this kit?

 

[dorenephilpot]

I can answer only in terms of Indiana law, where I practice. With that in mind:

Those kits can take care of a situation where everyone cooperates, but they won't solve problems that might arise if one party isn't cooperating.

There are notice requirements for a dissolution to be finalized -- in other words, the court must have either proof that your ex was actually notified OR there must be proof that you made diligent attempts to notify him. One way, in Indiana, would be for you to run an ad in a paper of general circulation three times. It would be considered a "legal notice."

Your state probably has specific requirements for that, and you would need to find out what they are.

Then you would supply proof to the court that you jumped through those notice requirement hoops, at which time the court could go ahead and approve the dissolution in his absence.

You could call the court and find out what it would require -- or you could look at the statutes of your state, which probably can be found online or at a local law library.

Hope this helps answer your questions. If not, e-mail me at [email protected].