Irreconcilable differences led to the dissolution of Lara Kaufmann’s marriage, but harmonious agreement yielded a swift and efficient resolution.
The DeKalb County couple settled on custody of their two young children, child support and division of assets. They also decided against hiring attorneys, thus saving thousands of dollars in fees.
“That’s more money you’ll have toward raising your kids,” said Kaufmann, a marketing consultant who downloaded the forms and filed them for less than $100. “If you can agree on the terms and fill in the blanks, you can get started without paying $125 an hour for something you can discuss on your own.”
Kaufmann is one of a growing number of pro se litigants, people who use the courts without representation from an attorney. With the proper paperwork, clients can litigate simple proceedings such as uncontested divorces between parties who have reached a settlement agreement and possess few assets.
Family Law Information Centers provide such resources and assist self-represented clients with equal access to justice. The centers also offer 30-minute consultations with an attorney for free or a nominal cost of about $10. Computers are available to help clients calculate child support, which requires a worksheet to file. Other services include child support modification and legitimation.
Fulton County has served more than 113,000 walk-in clients and answered 213,000 phone inquiries since opening metro Atlanta’s first Family Law Information Center in 1998. Similar centers operate in DeKalb, Cobb, Hall, Dawson and Gwinnett counties and the Appalachian Judicial Circuit (Fannin, Pickens and Gilmer counties).
The economic downturn has sparked a surge in walk-in and Internet traffic to the centers as more people cannot afford attorneys and others seek to modify child support due to layoffs.
Between 2008 and 2009, the DeKalb Family Law Information Center experienced a 14 percent increase in child support modifications and a 19 percent increase in legal consultations. Increasing demand for attorney consultations prompted Fulton County to offer monthly legal services clinics.
More people entering court without representation — with or without the proper paperwork — places additional burden on the courts, court clerks and others in the system argue. According to the Legal Needs Study conducted by the Georgia Committee on Civil Justice, many court personnel claim that self-represented litigants snarl the system because they lack understanding of court processes.
Conversely, the study found that people who could not afford attorneys (or obtain legal assistance) often took no action to resolve legal issues.
Ideally, everyone who wanted representation could afford it, said Jill Radwin, an attorney and executive director of the Georgia Committee on Civil Justice, which works to expand access to civil courts by the poor and indigent.
Until enough pro bono or low-cost services are available, the Family Law Information Centers provide a viable alternative to people entering court without the correct forms, no understanding of the court system and without representation, she said. “It’s not the perfect solution, but it’s a great stopgap.”
Judge Brenda Weaver of the Appalachian Circuit agrees. Before her three-county region’s Family Law Information Center opened in 2008, Weaver estimated that about 85 percent of pro se cases were continued due to incorrect paperwork or incomplete financial information. Some residents waited six to 10 years before they were granted a divorce, and one couple remained separated 25 years before receiving one.
Now, pro se litigants arrive at court better prepared, with the required forms completed and a basic understanding of the legal process, she said.
“In this economy, it is extremely important that we move these cases quickly because the custodial parent needs the child support to provide for the basic needs of the child,” said Weaver. “Continuing the case for another 30 days causes severe financial problems for families already struggling to pay all of their expenses each month.”
Long delays can become emotionally trying for clients as matters of family law resolve personal and sensitive concerns. The centers facilitate legal issues, but they cannot provide relationship counseling. Directories are available from which clients can choose therapy or mediation.
“Before many people can determine which services they need, there are often tears that have to be addressed,” said Miriam Royal, director of the DeKalb Family Law Information Center, citing clients who have returned the forms after deciding to reconcile.
Kaufmann understands the emotional complexities well.
The efficiency and simplicity of getting a divorce does not make the decision to end a marriage easy or enjoyable, she said, and the Family Law Information Centers are not a moral compass for clients.
“[Getting a divorce] is not something people take lightly,” said Kaufmann, asserting that hiring an attorney and waiting a long time yields the same outcome. “They’ll still be divorced but with less money and possibly more bitter feelings.”
DIY Legal Resources
● Appalachian Family Law Information Center: 706-299-1444
● DeKalb County Family Law Information Center: 404-687-3990, https://www.dekalbsuperiorcourt.com/family-law/the-center/
● Fulton Family Law Information Center : 404-612-2789, famdiv.fultoncourt.org
● Northeastern Judicial Circuit Family Law Information Center (Hall and Dawson counties): 770-531-2463.
Legal forms only
● Administrative Office of the Courts: http://www.georgiacourts.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=128&Itemid=84
● Clayton County Family Law Information Program Forms: 770-477-4565,
● Cobb County Law Library : 770-528-1884,
● Douglas County Superior Court: 770-920-7252,
● Gwinnett County Family Law Clinic: 678-376-4545, http://bit.ly/b5rRaf
Source: DeKalb Family Law Information Center
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