Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce

A Legal Roadmap for Your Divorce

This book explains the divorce process, from knowing how to file or answer a divorce petition to figuring out how to divide assets and debts and share parenting time. The author gives particular consideration to finding ways out of conflict that impose the least amount of emotional damage, particularly to children. It includes suggestions for dealing with various roadblocks.

This book explains:

• how the legal divorce process works and how to get through it in the least damaging way possible for yourself and your children


• how divorce mediation can help you reach fair agreements about custody, property, and support


• where to find the state-specific forms and information you'll need, along with more do-it-yourself resources


• how to get help from a lawyer without losing control of the process, and


• how to prepare a settlement agreement to document what you and your spouse decide about property, custody, and support.

Throughout this book, one theme is constant: it's to everyone's benefit, and especially children's benefit, to make a divorce as civil as possible. Avoiding fighting now will make life easier later. There are other important benefits as well, such as saving thousands in legal fees and getting a better night's sleep.

This book is intended to be a legal companion to those going through divorce, providing practical and supportive advice and information along the way, and helping them through the process.