Filing all your finished paperwork is the second step in processing your divorce petition. The court clerk will look over all your forms, both the copies and the originals. Once the clerk is satisfied with the forms then he will hand back the copies to you marked ‘Filed; and keep the originals for the court.

Temporary orders involve a form as well and you should have taken care of that along with your other paperwork that you’ve handed in to the court clerk. A lawyer or family law facilitator will greatly advance your chances of making your divorce go swimmingly.

This first filing of papers is often called ‘first appearance’ and is a petition. The court clerk will tell you of the filing costs. Simply because you don’t have the capital to pay for a filing fee, doesn’t mean you can’t get divorced. You can just ask for a fee waiver.