Click on the following links for more information on these topics:
- Do I need an attorney?
- What if I cannot afford an attorney to represent me?
- How long does a divorce take?
While Washington State does not require you to use the services of an attorney in a dissolution case, you must use specific forms, and you and your spouse must follow a case schedule issued by the court.
When you hire an attorney, he or she functions as an advocate for your interests during this difficult time. An attorney knows your legal rights, knows the process to follow, and knows which papers need to be filed.
What if I cannot afford an attorney to represent me?
If you cannot afford to hire an attorney to represent you, you may still be able to afford to have an attorney assist you in representing yourself.
This allows you to purchase just the help you can afford. This may consist of drafting the necessary legal documents for you, explaining the legal system and the steps you will need to take, advising you on arguing your case, explaining how to get your papers served on the other party, or performing legal research for you.
You can also hire any attorney to represent you for a single part of your case. This is called a "limited appearance". You might, for instance, hire the attorney just to appear at a single hearing to help explain your case to the court.
In King County you can get the names of attorneys offering these services by calling the King County Bar Association Lawyer Referral line at 206-267-7010.
In the state of Washington there is a mandatory 90 day waiting period between when the divorce is started and the time when it can be finalized, in order to give the parties a chance to change their minds. The divorce is considered final when the court signs the Decree of Dissolution.
If the parties are able to reach agreement on all issues, the divorce may be finalized as soon after the 90 day waiting period as they are able to present the final orders to the court. If they are not able to reach agreement within the 90 days, they will need to wait until they have reached agreement or have gone through a trial.
If the parties need a trial, the time wait varies from county to county, but a wait of a year is not uncommon. In some counties a trial date is assigned when the case is filed, while in other counties it is not assigned until the court is requested to do so.
