Hello. A friend of mine is looking for a divorce attorney in Denver. He is going through the Yellow Pages to find a lawyer and I would like for him to find an attorney through reference rather than chance. All that said, here is the detail: Married five years, wife is being very uncooperative, no kids from this marriage, no shared personal property, few assets. He has been living out of the house for three months and needs to get this marriage behind him. Money is tight for him. He can't afford to spend a fortune on legal representation and I hope maybe he won't have to. He just needs to file and keep things simple as possible. Any suggestions of which attorney to call? Thanks in advance!
What part of town does he live in? There are good ones everywhere. I can help with a referral. NP PM me.
I have a buddy who lives up here in the Fort Collins area that is going through the same thing and has a divorce attorney that is supposedly the best in the state. Not sure where the attorney is located but I can get info and forward it as it may be worth a drive if he's as good as his reputation.
What the heck does this guy need an attorney for? Tell him to go to the local courthouse and file "pro se" (without attorney), serve the obstinate soon-to-be ex-wife with the papers, and file for default after she sits on her butt for 30 days. If she goes crazy and actually hires an attorney, what exactly would she be asking for? 1/2 of whatever they both earned during the SHORT marriage, plus 1/2 of the debts. Spousal support? Alimony? Fat chance, they've only been married for 5 years. . . Not to be flippant, but getting a divorce (when there are no kids) is easier than you might think, it really just comes down to figuring out what it's worth to a person to get their spouse to wake up and move on with their lives. good luck
FWIW I think in the state of Colorado they are entitled to alimony after only two years. Better to pay an attorney a small fee to draw up papers (w/o the firm name any where on it is best) and have her sign. More than likely she won't be defensive unless she sees a name of a law firm on the paperwork she might feel the need to get her own attorney working on it as well. I think it's better to talk to someone who knows from the beginning to have all the details and your ducks in a row before you proceed. That's just me though.
Here in California, we have outfits like The Legal Action Workshop and one called We The people. The We company may be country wide. It's very simple since there are no kids and no real property to worry about. It's a bit like "you take the couch & I'll take the chairs, OK?" A few hundred dollars and done - they provide all paperwork and filings. Good luck. Hank
If you want to do Pro Se divorce, there is an outfit that sells the forms, and some counties have Help offices. Colorado is a no fault divorce state, and if no kids, no change in condition (eg., someone gives up a job to return to school),then maintenance prob not an issue. Gen, everyone walks with what they came in with and splits the property acquired during the marriage, with the exception of inheritance, etc. I am a lawyer, but hire another lawyer for my divorces, because of the brain damage of it all. It isn't that expensive if there is nothing to fight over, but many people use it as a forum for a good boxing match. Why not fight over the silverware, if you can't fight over anything else?? That is what drives up the cost of a divorce. Also, in Colorado, it is unethical for a lawyer to draft papers and not put his/her name on it...there is a rule which prohibits that. Maybe your barber can do it for you? It is also some piece of mind to get the advice of a good lawyer, to some (not to the know-it-alls in here, obviously). Jim
That's a new one on me (thankfully I'm not too keen on divorce issues) and I'll pass the info to him as I'm sure he doesn't know either being as his other divorce was a REAL nightmare and lawyers were all over the place on that one.
I've been through a Colorado divorce. If there are no kids, there shouldn't be much to contest. The court will want a list of assets and debts. Premarital stuff is backed out and the accumulation of assets or debts after marriage is generally divided 50/50. My new wife of 12 years is an attorney but does not do divorces. Perhaps I can find out where to info about DIY divorces. What county is he in? Dave
Avoid the dumb "divorce.com" sites! Whatever documents you pay for will be wrong anyway. Most states post their forms online now, check it out, Colorado State Self-Help website: http://www.courts.state.co.us/chs/court/forms/selfhelpcenter.htm Do your research fishing around on this site, and then decide whether you want to pay an attorney $300-$500 minimum to tell you what you already know and check the little boxes for you. . . There also may be a number to call on the site that offers $50 1/2 hour consults, etc Good luck
Thank you to everyone for your responses. I had tried to contact him to get his exact location and he was in the midst of renting U-Hauls and getting his belongings and was hard to reach. What a head ache! He finally got back to me and said he is in: North Denver, Adams County. Thorton is a nearby town if that helps. He will be much better off when this marriage is behind him. Any specific attorney recommendations in the North Denver area? Again, thank you for your help! This community is amazing!
Divorce action should to be filed in county of marital residence, or place/county of marriage ceremony, not temp new residence of person initiating the case. It is cheaper to travel to lawyer's office than have them travel across town to court. That being said, the ex lives in what county?
I am checking. I had no idea it mattered who lived where ... I am learning! I will post again as soon as he responds with the info. Thank you again for your help!
I just heard back from my friend. His ex lives in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, CO. So he would be better off to file in that city so as to save him paying for his attorney to travel between Denver and Colorado Springs? I believe they were married in a third location in Colorado. Does that location matter? This gets complicated! Thanks for any help!
He can file in El Paso county or the county where the marriage ceremony was conducted. Yes, I would get a lawyer in the county where he plans to file, prob El Paso. I don't work in that county, so I would recommend he go to www.lawyers.com and look up Family Law/Divorce lawyers. They have a rating system. Anyone with an "AV" or "BV" rating will likely do a good job. Look at their websites for a match. Look at Community Activities, not just Legal resume. Jim
