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DIY Divorce in Colorado: A Recipe for Disaster

Jan 30, 2024
2’ read
Family Law
Harvey SkeesPartner | 27 years of experience
Attorney
Attorney
Harvey SkeesPartner 27 years of experience

On the surface, a do-it-yourself divorce is the easiest and most cost-efficient route for splitting from your spouse. 

A DIY divorce, however, is not as straightforward or cheap as you may think. You have to fill out and file lengthy paperwork, understand the nuances of what you’re agreeing to, and hope you get a decent deal out of the matter - which you likely will not achieve on your own. As such, DIY divorces often don’t work for most cases. The actuality is that Colorado family law is complex - as is the divorce process. Minor mistakes can lead to serious financial consequences later.

Here are five reasons to hire an experienced family law attorney and avoid a Colorado DIY divorce.

Reasons to Forgo a DIY Divorce in Colorado

Save Precious Time

Like many people, you might not know how much time is involved in the Colorado divorce process. Divorce is thorny and requires a high level of research and paperwork. From filling out your sworn financial statement to your Property and Financial Agreement, plus everything in between, significant work goes into a successful dissolution of marriage. 

Let’s face it: your life is busy enough. Save yourself some time by forgoing a DIY divorce. Instead, hire a knowledgeable divorce attorney or licensed legal paraprofessional to help you avoid missed deadlines and critical errors.

Avoid Unwanted Stress

Divorce isn’t easy, and usually marks a period of notable emotional upheaval. Even the most amicable divorces still have moments of tension. And divorce proceedings will not magically foster more cordial communications. Fortunately, you can save yourself some emotional energy and let your family law attorney handle any correspondence with your ex or their lawyer.  Rather than tough out a DIY divorce on your own, consider hiring a family law attorney to mitigate the most harrowing aspects of your divorce and be your strongest advocate.

Avoid Costly Mistakes

Hiring a divorce attorney sounds counterintuitive, but it is often far less expensive than correcting mistakes. Retaining an attorney incurs upfront costs, but modifying your divorce decree later can be financially crippling.

Short-sighted Savings

Yes, it is cheaper upfront to initiate a DIY divorce in Colorado. But if you fill out the wrong forms, fill them out incorrectly, or miss a court-required step, you will need to hire an attorney to fix the errors. The further you are in the divorce process, the more expensive the corrections will be.

Long-term Savings

If child support and/or spousal maintenance, also known as alimony, are part of your divorce, getting a fair payment is crucial to your financial well-being.  These payments are challenging to modify. An experienced divorce attorney can calculate these monthly payments to ensure you don’t overpay or receive too little.

A skilled family law attorney will also point out key factors you might be unaware of, including entitlement to a portion of your spouse’s retirement and saving your separate property from being included in the division of marital property and assets.

Connect With a Licensed Divorce Attorney

Before moving forward with a DIY divorce in Colorado, speak with an attorney to see if you could benefit from legal representation. Call us at 303-688-0944 to schedule your case assessment.