Kalani asked:


I live in NY and need some help figuring out where the hell I start with this process. We’ve only been married 6 months, no kids, no real assets. We agree that the marriage is over, and don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a divorce. Where can I find some free legal advice, someone that can point me in the right direction?

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

litensweet2167 asked:


We have been separated for about 11 years and I have no idea where he is. I think he may have already filed for a divorce but we don’t know where each other are how do I know for sure?

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

CNM asked:


I did not have a good marriage. After my husband left for the second time, I decided to move on. I know I deserve someone who wants to be with me, even in the most difficult of times. He didn’t want to change his ways until I filed for the divorce. As bad as it was, and as much as I know there is better out there, why does it still hurt so bad?

Caffeinated Content

foxzie006 asked:


I need help with finding out some information on Pennsylvania’s laws on paternity and child custody disputes.

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Stephanie H asked:


My daughter and i moved to gregg county about 6 months ago. I am in the middle of a court battle with her father over custody and they are requesting a change of venue to gregg county rather than panola county, which is where our original orders were done, so they currently have jurisdiction. The father doesn’t live in Panola or Gregg county he lives nine hours away. I am just wondering what is the purpose of changing the county of jurisdiction and what are the requirements for doing so?

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

chichibaby asked:


I am active duty Army, and I need to file for custody of my son is this something the JAG can assist me with or do I need to go to my county family court? Also, wil JAG charge me for this and if so how much? Thanks in advance.

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Cheryl Pierce asked:


nt to stop divorce, you have to convince the person who wants to divorce you to give the relationship another try. This isn’t always possible, but it’s absolutely necessary if you have a chance of stopping a divorce. A divorce can be stopped at virtually any stage—before it’s filed or just before it needs the final paperwork. The sooner you stop a divorce, the more likely it is that the divorce won’t be restarted, at least not anytime soon.

So to stop a divorce, you must convince the person to give the relationship another chance. If you have been imploring the other person to give you another try or pleading for them to get back together with you, stop now. This might seem counterproductive, as if now that the person has less opposition it will make it easier for them to divorce you. But your pleading likely wasn’t doing anything but convincing them that divorce is a good idea anyway. Who wants to be around a person who is carrying on that way?

If you can begin acting more mature and behave in a more pleasant manner, it might surprise the other person and help stop divorce. Explain that you really don’t want the divorce and you want another chance in a calm way. The person already recognizes this so you screaming or carrying on won’t help your chances. Just make it clear that you’re hurt and very sad, and you truly want another chance. You might be surprised how the other person responds when you switch your behavior.

You can also show a mature side of yourself that the other person might not have seen over the last several weeks and suggest marital or couples counseling to stop divorce. Counseling has worked for millions of couples and your relationship could benefit from it too. If you can get the other person to agree to couples counseling, then you have precious time before they file for or attempt to finalize a divorce to convince them to give you and the relationship another chance.

During counseling you’ll have the chance to show the person why they fell in love with you. You can remind them why you’re together in the first place. And if you can show honest effort in wanting to deal with the troubles that come up during the counseling—and many plausibly will—that might be enough to convince the other person not only to stop divorce temporarily, but permanently.

When you succeed and stop divorce, you must remember that the person was about to divorce you and it would be easy enough for them to change his or her mind and file for divorce later. Having already thought about divorce and maybe even having gone far enough as to file for divorce at one time makes the decision to file again easier. So be aware of the state of your relationship, and perhaps continue counseling. It’s easier to stop divorce temporarily than to have a good relationship for the long term.

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

JUMP OFF THE BANDWAGON asked:


What would a Conservative and a liberal say about divorce and remarriage?

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Sherry Crabtree Ortiz asked:


Keeping the house makes for a messy divorce

It’s not just a matter of who keeps the home. Loans, liens and other financial issues can preclude a clean split.

“If you’re still linked through the house, then you’re not really divorced,” says Kelly Lise Murray, a Harvard-trained lawyer and Nashville real estate agent.

People tend to underestimate the true cost of homeownership, drastically overstating the remaining spouse’s ability to afford the place, Murray says.

Even in a friendly divorce, certain key expenses are overlooked. Lawn care, homeowners association fees, even the basic costs of maintenance are among the costs that are rarely considered, either by the courts or the splitting spouses.

And then there’s the even bigger issue of hidden debt. Ideally, there will have been no secrets between the husband and wife. But money is a major cause of divorce, and in many cases, one spouse has no clue that the other has run up big bills that have become undisclosed liens against the property.

“I see it a lot,” says Murray, whose goal is to reform divorce law as it pertains to real estate, one state at a time. “It’s frequent. And what you don’t know during your divorce can hurt you long after the marriage is over.”

Fortunately, a major real estate mistake is preventable — but only during your divorce, not afterward. So Murray recommends doing due diligence and gathering information from more financial and real estate experts early in the divorce process. That way, you can make a more informed decision about whether you really want to keep the place or not.

In most divorces, the spouses determine what the house is worth, and the one who gives up the place is usually given a credit of some sort for his or her half of the equity the couple have in the place. Typically, the parties split the equity based on an appraisal. So if an appraiser says the house is worth, say, $300,000 and they owe $200,000, the “out spouse” gives up his or her claim to a $50,000 equity stake for, perhaps, $50,000 in stocks and bonds.

But along with that appraisal, Murray says, the “house spouse” should obtain an independent, third-party inspection of the property to determine whether there are any latent defects that could change its value.

“You wouldn’t buy a house without an inspection, so why would you accept one in a divorce without an inspection?” Murray asks. “What if something’s wrong or about to go wrong? You can use the inspector’s report as a punch list and either use the marital assets to make the necessary repairs or reduce the value of the property accordingly.”

Make sure to ask your inspector to estimate the remaining life of the property’s major appliances and systems. If something is on its last legs, you’ll want to know in advance so you can adjust for that as well. And while you’re at it, order a termite inspection — the damage those little bugs cause is often significant.

The real estate divorce specialist, whose self-published book “Divorce This House: When Keeping Your House Equals Losing Your Divorce” will be out this month, wants spouses to have two title searches, one as soon as possible after the divorce process begins and the other shortly before the divorce is finalized.

The first will uncover any unknown liens, encumbrances or clouds on the title that may have been placed by one spouse without the other’s knowledge. The second will uncover anything placed on the title during the proceedings, such as a lien filed by the out spouse’s attorney to cover his fees.

The more people follow these guidelines, divorce realty specialist Murray believes, the more likely they will end up selling the home and moving on. Disposing of the house during the divorce is far less risky than afterward, she says, and helps protect each spouse from the other’s financial problems.

“It’s the only way to be truly divorced,” she says. “Your spouse’s post-divorce debts become your debts if his name is still on the title. If the creditor files a lien, you will be unable to sell or refinance until the debt is paid.”

Don’t be fooled, either, into thinking that signing a quitclaim deed will get you out of harm’s way. A quitclaim will get your spouse off the title but not off the mortgage.

To truly divorce your house, Murray says there are only two ways to go: Sell the place or refinance it. “Financial exposure is extinguished when the house is sold or individually refinanced pursuant to divorce,” she says. “Otherwise, either spouse or both remain legally and financially at risk, often for years after they split.”

All of these issues and others are preventable during the divorce, but they’re not easily fixed afterward.



Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Mark Jordan asked:


If you are the one who wants to stop a divorce you will have to convince your spouse to give the relationship another try.  This sounds completely logical but it is the very first simple fact you have to understand.  Of course it isn’t always possible to convince your divorce minded spouse to give the relationship another try but it is imperative if you want any chance of stopping a divorce.  You can stop a divorce at any stage, such as just before the paperwork is filed or even just before the paperwork is approved by the courts.  But the earlier you stop a divorce the more likely that it won’t be brought up again.

To reiterate, convincing your spouse to give your relationship another go around is the very beginning process to stop a divorce.  But this does not mean continuous begging to your spouse.  If you have been doing that it is time to stop.  You may be thinking that you need to do a lot of begging to get the point across as if the more begging the more it will wear down their resistance.  The chances are, your begging is just getting more on their nerves and making them want the divorce even more.  No one wants to be around someone who seems to be unsure of themselves or needy.

Your best move is to explain in calm terms why you don’t want the divorce and you would like another chance at the relationship.  If you can demonstrate some maturity in your behavior and remain calm it might surprise your spouse and help stop a divorce.

Any screaming or angry actions will not help your chances.  Your divorce minded spouse already knows you don’t want the divorce.  Your goal is to just make him or her realize how sad you are about it.  You will be surprised how your mature actions will change your spouse’s behavior and thinking.

Another way to show your spouse that you are being mature about the situation is to suggest marital counseling.  Although some people are against it, counseling has worked for many thousands of couples. Your relationship can benefit from it as well.  You will have to get your significant other to agree to the counseling and that may not be so easy at first.  But if you have them convinced to try again then it will not be hard.  While counseling is taking place you will have even more time to convince them of the stupidity of divorce and the value of giving the relationship another chance.

While you are in counseling you can have the opportunity to figure out why you fell in love with each other in the fist place.  You and your spouse will have time to think of the reasons you got together.  For you to stop divorce you should show an honest effort to deal with the problems mentioned during counseling.  Hopefully this will convince your partner that you are mature enough and concerned about resolving previous marital problems.  This should convince him or her to stop a divorce, at least temporarily if not permanently.

If you do succeed at stopping a divorce, it is important to keep in mind that your divorce minded spouse will always feel that they can always begin to file once again for divorce if need be.  It is easy for some people to change their mind back and forth quickly.  This means you should be aware of the state of your relationship at all times and make an effort to keep the relationship healthy.  Having a good relationship permanently is better than having to stop a divorce temporarily several times.



Caffeinated Content for WordPress