There are many websites with lots of free information that is good. The problem is being able to tell the good content from the bad. This is why, whether you intend to hire a lawyer to handle some or all parts of your divorce case, you need to read a lot to get a solid understanding of how divorce works—and not just the general concepts of divorce, but also how divorce works specifically in your jurisdiction (i.e., the state and county and city where you will be filing for divorce).
As for the best DIY divorce sites, I do not know of any completely free of charge sites, and I do not know which ones, if any, offer a free trial (if they did, most people would use the free trial and never pay). Again, you will want to review many of them to get a feel for what features they offer, how well these sites function, and how much they charge. You’ll want to find the site that caters to your skill level and budget without sacrificing the quality of their forms.
I worked closely with (but I am not employed, or paid by, or an owner of) the people who created ourdivorce.com, which I think is one of the best DIY divorce sites for divorce in the U.S.A. (not worldwide) because it was created from the ground up around the non-lawyer DIY divorce site user. It’s designed to make the process of divorce and the choices you and your spouse make along the way understandable and clear.
Remember: just because you are not a lawyer and just because you prepared your divorce forms yourself does not give you a “do over free” pass if the DIY forms you prepared were prepared incompletely, mistakenly, erroneously, or in any other a way that does not do what you wanted or intended. DIY divorce websites and forms are getting better and easier as technology advances, but they are still not a perfect substitute for a skilled lawyer’s help. So no matter which DIY site and forms you choose to use, BE SURE TO REVIEW THE FINAL PRODUCT WITH A SKILLED, EXPERIENCED LAWYER to ensure your forms are as you want them to be and as they need to be before you sign anything and before your file anything with the court.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277
Merely use them? I don’t see the harm in being familiar with them. Reading, watching, listening. Learning. That’s a good thing. A very good thing. Being dependent upon only free resources? No. That’s a bad thing.
Should you use free resources exclusively, without paying an attorney to represent you or at least consult with you (assuming you can afford an attorney’s help)? No. The family law legal system is a mess, and if success is your aim, then trying to navigate it and understand it and work within it on your own would be, with rare exception, foolish. I wish it weren’t true, but it is.
Ask sane people who thought they could represent themselves successfully in divorce and family law disputes how they fared. Precious few will tell you they have no regrets. Precious few will tell you they wouldn’t get an attorney’s help, if they had to do it all over again.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277
In my experience, free legal advice is worth what you pay for it, but I understand that there are some (even many) who simply cannot afford an attorney (or believe they can’t) who need legal advice or assistance.
There are some sources of free or discounted legal advice and services. Generally speaking and in my experience, they are of poor quality, and if there are exceptions, they are hard to find and hard to identify.
Still, if you are desperate and feel that any advice/help is better than none (and bear in mind that in many instances bad legal advice/help can be worse than none), you can call the local or state bar association for the jurisdiction (state) where you live and ask it for a list of free or discounted legal assistance providers. That would, in my opinion, be the best place to start.
In Utah, where I practice divorce and family law, the Utah State Bar’s number is 801–531–9077. Their website can be access here: Utah State Bar | Serving The Public and Legal Professionals. Ask for reference to the free legal help services provided by or known to the Utah State Bar when you call, or visit the website to search these options.
Local law schools almost always offer some kind of pro bono legal help through programs staffed by volunteer law students or by students who, as part of their course, help find answers to legal questions or help provide legal representation.
You could also do a Google/Duckduckgo/Bing/Opera search for “pro bono legal help” or “pro bono legal assistance” or similar searches, as well as searches for “discount lawyer” or “low cost lawyer” etc. Again, be warned: cheap legal services are rarely a bargain (heck, they’re rarely any good at all). Be thorough in your search. Choose wisely.
Many who believe they cannot afford an attorney “discover”, after considering the cheap and free options, that they can (or more accurately, that they can’t afford not to spend the money on good advice/help). That’s not a knock on poor people, it’s just acknowledging that there is a reason why good legal advice/representation is expensive.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277
But please remember: 1) talking to an attorney for legal information or even legal advice does not mean that a lawyer will give you a simple, inevitable path to success with your particular legal problem (the lawyer might, but it’s not guaranteed, it can’t be); 2) some services are limited to people who are poor who cannot afford legal services; and 3) you get what you pay for, i.e., lawyers only have some much time they can spare handing out legal information and legal advice.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277