Pro Se
What is “Pro Se”?
“Pro se” is a Latin phrase which literally means, “for myself.” As the name suggests, in a pro se divorce or family law dispute, the parties do not hire attorneys, they do it themselves. They proceed on their own to draft and file the necessary court documents including the summons and petition, financial disclosure statements, any motions, the settlement agreement, if any, and the final judgment or order. In some areas, pro se form kits are available at the courthouse. The parties must either work out an agreement together or present their legal issues to the court. If an issue is not agreed upon, the parties have to be prepared to act as their own lawyers, which means they must call witnesses, ask questions of the opposing party and tell the court why their request for specific orders should be granted.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| 1. Very low cost. 2. The assurance that non-parties will not create or worsen conflict. |
1. Neither party may understand the law or their legal rights, since they do not have the benefit of legal advice. 2. One of the parties may be exploited and taken advantage of based on unequal knowledge, sophistication, resources, bargaining power, emotional strength, or other factors, which could have been effectively remedied by the party being represented by an advocate. 3. The parties may be unable to accomplish what is required to commence or conclude their case, since they lack the skills needed to reach agreements and/or do not know how to present their case to a court on a contested basis. 4. The parties may take actions or make agreements which have unforeseen and/or unintended consequences since they are unaware of applicable legal considerations. |