Self Represented Utah Divorces
The State of Utah has a high rate of parties going through divorce proceedings without a lawyer. An examination of statistics sheds some light on why Utah has such a high rate of cases with lack of legal representation.
The State of Utah has just as many divorces as the rest of the United States of America. The rate of divorce in Utah is around 0.43% of the entire population, and is slightly higher than the national rate of 0.41%. In Utah, the average for a first divorce is 31 for males and 29 for females.
According to statistics from 2000, in Utah over ten thousand children were affected by a divorce that year. This number has since increased significantly.
According to a study of statistics by Utah State University on the most recent information available, almost half of the divorces in Utah happen during the first five years of marriage. Nearly 1/5 of divorces in Utah happen before the couple make it to their first wedding anniversary.
So why do many parties in Utah decide to go without representation? One possibility is that children and custody issues can add complexity and expense to a divorce case, making it unaffordable for some. Also, in Utah, a lot of the couples are young and have not been married long enough to reach their most efficient money earning years, and are not able to afford legal representation.
Attempts are being made this year (2009) by the Utah state courts to determine what percentage of divorces involve parties without legal representation. The courts estimate that approximately 7 out of 10 divorce cases have an unrepresented party. Local Utah attorneys are being encouraged by judges to make an effort to provide services for litigants who are making an attempt to navigate through the legal process without representation.
Because of cut-backs within the Utah court system, Judges and Commissioners are working more cases with less administrative assistance and they’re losing their patience with pro se litigants (parties without representation), who don’t have any idea of appropriate procedure or argument.
Several Utah law firms have answered the call and are providing free consultations, or affordable billing options for self-representation assistance on specific parts of the litigation. Firms like Long Okura in Salt Lake City offer both. If you’re considering a court appearance without an attorney, consider finding some legal assistance first.
Learn more about Utah divorce information.