Although, do it yourself divorce or DIY might be appropriate for some people. It is not the right solution for others. It does allow people to handle it on their own and sometimes people think that if you do not have an attorney involved in the case that it is an easier process.

One, that the paperwork and pleadings will be easy. Sometimes people think that it is just filling out forms and that the paperwork will be relatively straight forward.  Sometimes people are comfortable with the paperwork but there is legal terminology on the paperwork. The pleadings themselves have to comply with the law and what the Judge expects.  There are things that even if they comply that people might not understand what they are signing or may leave out relevant parts.

Second, people think that if they are co-parenting together that they do not need a parenting plan.  Generally, even parents that are getting along and can figure out lots of facets about how to parent their children; you need to at least have a “Default Agreement” and there are lots of different ways to have that written out; which sometimes people are comfortable doing and sometimes they are not.

Third assumption is not always accurate.  It is doing everything by yourself and is a way to keep your cost low. There are a lot of hidden costs in divorces and you can end up doing something wrong that could cost you significantly down the road. Even if you are amicable with the other parent or other party and doing it by yourselves there are significant drawbacks to this. If you have either a mediator or an attorney handling it as a joint petition, it is able to be done more professionally and appropriately and still at a lower cost.

Fourth, doing it by yourself will make it a less painful process. That certainly can be sometimes the case; particularly if the attorneys are both aggressive towards each other.  However, if you either use a mediator or have the attorneys handle it in a more cooperative fashion, you can both make it less painful and keep yourselves away from the emotional parts of it and have a better overall agreement.