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I have been separated for 10 years. My ex lives in SC and I live in TN. There is already a court order for child support and everything else is agreed on. I need a divorce as quickly as possible and was wanting to handle it myself but I have no clue on what papers/forms need to be filed. Can anyone advise on what is needed. I do not have the funds for an attny.

Thanks!

http://www.ilrg.com/forms/divorce-mc/us/tn

Take a look at this site and you'll get an idea of what types of forms you'll need. You will have to call the county court where you plan to file the divorce and ask them what the filing fees are for each of the steps. When you do call, also ask them if they can supply you with the appropriate forms or where you can obtain them free online, if available to download. The site above requires a payment for each of the forms you need, but why pay if you can get them free from the courthouse.

You might also want to take note that TN requires a parenting plan attached (pretty much the visitation schedule). Whatever you and the ex have agreed upon. You'll be to attach copies of your current child support order to the documentation as "Exhibit A," and note in that section "current order in place, see Exhibit A attached.

And finally, there's a form that must be signed and returned by your stbx, that he's reviewed the petition and agrees to terms. It should move quickly from there.

If you expect your stbx not to contest the divorce, then get him to agree to the terms and just have an attorney write it up. It'll cost at most a few hundred dollars. It's a small price to pay for the peace of mind that all the appropriate legalese was put in.

I live in TN and I don't know of any county that will allow you to do this on your own. I called the court house and asked. I did talk to a paralegal from an attorney's office who told me she would help me complete the paperwork (there are no standard forms in TN), complete the parenting plan (basic one on web), complete the child support worksheet (on state website and it's mandatory) and the MDA or marital dissolution agreement (the splitting of assets). The paralegal would file the paperwork at the courthouse and as long as everything was agreed upon, the fee was less than $800 for everything. With kids there is a mandatory 90 day waiting period unless your STBX signs [u]everything[/u] before it goes to the courthouse. Good Luck!

"I don't know of any county that will allow you to do this on your own"
They don't have a choice. They can't require you to get an attorney. They don't have to offer you any particular assistance, but if you can file the right documents yourself, they can't refuse to take them just because you don't have an attorney.