(Disclaimer: This is not legal advice; this is information on how to conduct online research to find public documents.)
A few things I learned as a court reporter: Divorce happens, divorce is not pretty, and divorce comes with paperwork...lots of paperwork.
So, where does one find the paperwork for filing a divorce? Where else in the 21st Century but online, of course; and it's a wonderful convenience, too.
Searching for any state's divorce forms is very easy thanks to search engines.
> Open any search engine and type the state's name with the words 'divorce forms' after it.
For example, I tested it out on Mississippi, a state I have never lived, worked, nor breathed in.
When I typed 'Mississippi State divorce forms' the first non-ad link that came up in the search was the forms page for the Administrative Office of Courts for the State of Mississippi Judiciary.
Under the Statistical Reporting Forms section is the link Civil Case Filing Form - Complete and Print. This is the divorce filing form, and a form for any other civil case in Mississippi from the looks of it.
The forms page for Mississippi is so simple I thought there would be more; that just goes to show you the difference here in my home state of Washington State. So let's compare, shall we?
Here is the Washington State Court Forms page.
I recommend viewing it to see a visual comparison against Mississippi in order to gain a better understanding of the difference in government between two states; and how living under a different government can create a different life through government regulation alone. But I digress.
Following the Divorce (Dissolution) link on the forms page leads to another page with a list of forms broken down by situation; with kids, without kids, etc.
For extra help, most likely because Washington State is so overrun by confusing paperwork, there is a link above the list of forms entitled General Information and Instructions about Ending Your Marriage, which is linked through WashingtonLawHelp.org, an organization offering 'legal help for Washingtonians who cannot afford a lawyer.'
Lots of websites can come up in the search that look like the right page but are actually businesses or other websites.
> The way to tell which website is the correct one is that it should be a .gov site from the state where the divorce will be filed.
> Even if a .com business website offers the divorce forms, they are public court documents and are always available through the courts to the public.
While the documents are free to print, they cost money to be filed and that cost varies by state and jurisdiction.
According to WashingtonDivorceOnline.com, the cost to file a divorce in Washington State is $280; however, that website's last published date at the bottom is listed as 2012, so the cost is likely higher now.
~ Happy researching!
> This blog post is inspired by a recent sale in my Prose & Pix Zazzle shop.
> ThxXox to the buyer of my Just Divorced bumper sticker ~ Let the good times begin!
So, where does one find the paperwork for filing a divorce? Where else in the 21st Century but online, of course; and it's a wonderful convenience, too.
Searching for any state's divorce forms is very easy thanks to search engines.
> Open any search engine and type the state's name with the words 'divorce forms' after it.
For example, I tested it out on Mississippi, a state I have never lived, worked, nor breathed in.
When I typed 'Mississippi State divorce forms' the first non-ad link that came up in the search was the forms page for the Administrative Office of Courts for the State of Mississippi Judiciary.
Under the Statistical Reporting Forms section is the link Civil Case Filing Form - Complete and Print. This is the divorce filing form, and a form for any other civil case in Mississippi from the looks of it.
The forms page for Mississippi is so simple I thought there would be more; that just goes to show you the difference here in my home state of Washington State. So let's compare, shall we?
Here is the Washington State Court Forms page.
I recommend viewing it to see a visual comparison against Mississippi in order to gain a better understanding of the difference in government between two states; and how living under a different government can create a different life through government regulation alone. But I digress.
Following the Divorce (Dissolution) link on the forms page leads to another page with a list of forms broken down by situation; with kids, without kids, etc.
For extra help, most likely because Washington State is so overrun by confusing paperwork, there is a link above the list of forms entitled General Information and Instructions about Ending Your Marriage, which is linked through WashingtonLawHelp.org, an organization offering 'legal help for Washingtonians who cannot afford a lawyer.'
Lots of websites can come up in the search that look like the right page but are actually businesses or other websites.
> The way to tell which website is the correct one is that it should be a .gov site from the state where the divorce will be filed.
> Even if a .com business website offers the divorce forms, they are public court documents and are always available through the courts to the public.
While the documents are free to print, they cost money to be filed and that cost varies by state and jurisdiction.
According to WashingtonDivorceOnline.com, the cost to file a divorce in Washington State is $280; however, that website's last published date at the bottom is listed as 2012, so the cost is likely higher now.
~ Happy researching!
> This blog post is inspired by a recent sale in my Prose & Pix Zazzle shop.
> ThxXox to the buyer of my Just Divorced bumper sticker ~ Let the good times begin!
