Offering a simpler and cheaper path to divorce, an ever-growing array of dot-coms, computer-savvy lawyers and state court officials are encouraging unhappily married Americans to arrange their breakups online
Published:
30 May 2003 y., Friday
Offering a simpler and cheaper path to divorce, an ever-growing array of dot-coms, computer-savvy lawyers and state court officials are encouraging unhappily married Americans to arrange their breakups online.
For fees ranging from $50 to $300 — a small fraction of what most lawyers charge even for an uncontested divorce — couples are being provided with the appropriate forms and varying degrees of help completing them.
The phenomenon is spreading. Rival firms CompleteCase.com and LegalZoom.com each say they have served 20,000 clients nationwide in less than three years of operation. Hits on the divorce section of the California court system's do-it-youself Web site soared from 6,800 in May 2002 to about 15,000 last month.
"It's similar to the growth of online travel services and online stock trading," said Brian Lee, president of Los Angeles-based LegalZoom. "People are learning they don't need a travel agent or a stockbroker or a lawyer — they can do it themselves."
Many clients may still have to appear in court, but — in theory, at least — they will have all required paperwork with them and will be able to represent themselves.
Šaltinis:
usatoday.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Ensuring that women are protected from physical, sexual or psychological abuse if they flee abroad is what lies behind the proposed European Protection Order.
more »
Remnants of Tropical Storm Agatha dumped more rain across Central America, killing at least 73 people in the region, and forcing scores of others to flee their homes.
more »
Ninety-three-year old Lim Guan Siew looks back, with regret, on her experience of the long-dispelled Chinese custom of foot-binding.
more »
Ahead of the 2010 No Tobacco Day (Monday 31st May), the European Commission unveils the results of a Eurobarometer survey which shows that a strong majority of EU citizens support stronger tobacco control measures.
more »
Enviromentalist and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh puts his body to the test in thin air and cold water to highlight shrinking glaciers in high mountain ranges.
more »
It’s a dog’s life for the 1,500 unwanted strays who spend their days in a slum-like shelters in Brazil’s southern city of Caxias do Sul.
more »
Three resolutions on the situation in Thailand, the pre-election climate in Burma and religious freedom in Pakistan were adopted by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday.
more »
Growing numbers of children enroll in kung-fu schools to learn self-defense techniques after a series of school attacks in recent weeks spark wide-spread concern in China.
more »
Homosexuality in the military can be a thorny issue around the world, with gay and lesbian soldiers often hiding their sexual preference out of fear.
more »
European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding will urge EU Member States to swiftly ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during a May 19 Ministers’ meeting in Zaragoza, Spain.
more »