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 DIY Divorce




This page offers you info on the Tennessee Do It Yourself, or DIY, divorce law. Please read on to learn more and find many links which discuss other divorce topics, as well as see these videos - our most effective way of offering you free consultations concerning your divorce.







An uncontested divorce costs less. But will your divorce truly be uncontested? Click twice on the play button above to watch the video about an uncontested divorce.





What if you are served with 'divorce papers'. What happens then? An experienced Tennessee divorce attorney has some ideas for you. Click twice to play the video.





An experienced Tennessee divorce lawyer gives you a few free tips on what to look for when you are dividing assets in a divorce. Thoughts about how marital assets are divided during a divorce. Click twice to play the video.





How do you start a divorce, or file for a divorce in Tennessee? An experienced local lawyer offers free advice in this video. Click twice to play the video.





In a Tennessee divorce how do you handle splitting your house, and the mortgage. Here's some free advice from an experienced Tennessee lawyer. Click twice to play the video.





In a Tennessee divorce you will generally have a Marital Dissolution Agreement or MDA, and if there are children, you must also file a parenting plan with the court, plus you must take a parenting class. Here's an explanation of these documents by an experienced Tennessee lawyer. Click twice to play the video.







Our firm strives for client satisfaction by responding quickly, explaining legal terms in an understandable way, and sending you weekly email updates on your case status.

We have a CPA, that means a strong accounting and cost efficiency background, so we know how to be frugal and give clients the most value for their money. Our rates are comparable to other experienced attorneys in the area. We often show clients how to save on costs by pointing out how to do-it-yourself on many tasks. Our portal and efficient systems mean you can generally spend far less on a case when dealing with us.

As a trained family law mediator we have good negotiation skills to aid in settling matters - but we are also skilled at going to court to 'do battle' with the opposing side.




Founding attorney Burdette explains a bit about why our office operations have evolved to new means and methods and how that change can benefit you.

Keeping up with the advances in technology means you can now basically conduct your entire divorce from the safety of you home. Documents are exchanged through our secure portal, and all communications are via email, text, or Zoom sessions. It saves time and money, and makes you safer.

 

Tennessee’s Do-It-Yourself Divorce

In limited circumstances, it is possible to get an “agreed divorce” in Tennessee without hiring an attorney. The Tennessee Supreme Court has approved divorce forms that, if properly completed, must be accepted by all Tennessee courts that hear divorce cases. These forms and their instructions can be found at www.tncourts.gov/help-center/court-approved-divorce-forms. I’m sure you’re wondering why an attorney is sharing this information with you. For two reasons. First, the vast majority of divorces do not meet the criteria to obtain an agreed divorce. Second, getting divorced is not a simple process, no matter how simple it is made to sound.

You only qualify for the Tennessee agreed divorce process if the following apply to your situation:
 
  • You and your spouse have no children under the age of 18, or disabled, or still in high school

  • The wife is not pregnant now

  • You don’t own real property (your home, condo, other buildings or land)

  • You or your spouse don’t own a business

  • You or your spouse don’t have any retirement benefits

  • You both want to end your marriage and can agree on how to divide your property (including alimony) and are both willing to sign a marital dissolution agreement.

  • You can locate your spouse.

You will have to follow the instructions carefully and will have no one to ask for help.

The instructions state that an agreed divorce is easier, faster and costs less than a regular divorce. None of those statements are true. An agreed divorce, one where you as a layperson do all the work, is not an easy process. One look at the forms and their instructions and you will agree. An agreed divorce cannot be obtained any faster by you than by someone who hires an attorney. A divorce obtained on the basis of irreconcilable differences (the technical term for “agreed divorce”) can be granted after a 60 day waiting period if there are no minor children and 90 days if there are minor children. Rarely are all issues ironed out within that period of time. It is possible, but not typical. Court costs are the same whether you file for divorce yourself or an attorney files for you. The only savings come from not having to pay attorney fees. I must point out that even though you could probably change a car’s transmission by watching YouTube videos and reading about it online, is it really something that you want to spend the time and effort doing all by yourself?

Getting divorced is complicated. Don’t try to go it alone, even if you meet the above criteria. If you and your spouse truly agree to all the details of your divorce, then your attorney’s fees shouldn’t be outrageous. Look at the forms and instructions on the website for agreed divorces. Five pages of instructions, at least eight forms, and warnings every paragraph advising that you talk to a lawyer. This is for couples who have no children, don’t own a home, and have no retirement plans in place.

Many people are cost conscious and don’t want to spend money unnecessarily, especially on attorney’s fees. But getting a divorce ranks up there with getting married, having children, buying a house. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish with this important event in your life.

 

 

Some of our recognitions -

Best Probate Lawyers in Memphis , 10 Best attorneys in Tennessee , Best Family law lawyers in Memphis , Three best rated estate planning attorneys Memphis Top 10 memphis divorce attorneys , Three best rated attorney business
Named the best probate lawyer in Memphis. Selected as one of the 10 best family law attorneys in Tennessee by a client satisfaction survey polling actual clients. Selected as a best family lawyer in Memphis. One of the three best rated estate planning atorneys in Memphis. Voted a Top 10 divorce attorney in Memphis by Trust Analytics client ratings.



What Clients Say:

As of July, 2023 we were 4.9 of 5 stars for 46 reviews of our Memphis office on Google. - one non-client didn't like the idea of actually paying for service. Many shrug and say - can't win 'em all. But we try to every time.

reviews by clients
Burdette Law Memphis
Reviews – Google

Our Germantown office has a perfect 5.0 / 5.0 record on the Google reviews for their office, which they gleefully lord over our Memphis staff. The Memphians reply - hey! you've only got 13 to our 46!

burdette law attorney germantown
Burdette Law Germantown
Reviews – Google

Other ratings and awards - 10 Best in Tennessee - family law. Expertise Lawyer - Memphis. Top 3 Estate Planning Lawyer in Memphis. Also, admitted to practice - U.S. Supreme Court. That means excellence.

Name a 10 Best Attorneys in Tennessee - Burdette Law
Burdette Law
Tennessee – Other recognition.



Instant answers - right here - anytime.

A Memphis attorney using AI to explain things and answer your questions, quickly and easily  - Burdette Law

Let's say it's midnight. As you're falling off to sleep you remember a legal term - somebody mentioned QDRO or quadro. What is that? Open your smart phone. Ask our Robbie. He'll give you a 2 or 3 paragrph answer in 30 seconds. It might have taken you 30 minutes to an hour using a search engine. Now, get some rest, knowing we're here, we have your back, we can explain things anytime - day or night.

Send secure, private email, text, and documents

secure email and document exchange portal - Burdette Law

Click the link: Item 2 = send email. Item 4 = send documents. Item 5 = text or call for divorce, probate, or tax matters.

Podcasts - to talk you through a family problem

Named Top Probate  Attorney in Memphis - Burdette Law

They are quick audio tracks that can talk you through or explain many problems and legal concepts. You can listen privately on your phone earbuds, wherever you happen to be.

Offering you video answer sessions

secure server client portal - Burdette Law

Learn more, anytime, from anywhere - select a playlist on Divorce - Estate or Tax Law. All our videos are short and to-the-point, so you can get to the meat of any concept in a rapid fashion, then move on to the next video idea when you wish.

Move back to our main page -

A Memphis attorney using AI to explain things and answer your questions, quickly and easily  - Burdette Law

Click here to explore our entire site, to link into our secure client portal and much more

See our main divorce information page -

A Memphis attorney using AI to explain things and answer your questions, quickly and easily  - Burdette Law

Click here to visit our main divorce page with links to all day instant divorce information, web pages, videos, and podcasts and more

Saving you time and hassles with our Secure Portal Connection

secure server client portal - Burdette Law

Send messages. Exchange and store your documents electronically. It is your own private case file with dual factor credential verification and encrypted data tunnels. Think of it as your personal guarded bank vault that only you can access - anytime, from anywhere you are.

Schedule an appointment online, any time, from wherever you are.

secure email and document exchange portal - Burdette Law

Click the link below to go to our appointment menu on our secure portal. You can schedule a Zoom or a FaceTime or a teleconference from your choice of the available times and dates..