Customer Reviews

Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was speaking with a client this week regarding a business related matter that I am helping him with and he mentioned the expense of his divorce that he had a different attorney handling. He commented that only the attorneys win and they were the ones making money. I mention this, because I really like the message throughout this book that it is to everyone's benefit, and especially that of children, to make the divorce process as civil as possible. If you don't, you may find yourself in a battle such as Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in "The War of the Roses."

To help save money, emotional turmoil, and a lot of time, Nolo's "Essential Guide to Divorce" by Attorney Emily Doskow is a great resource for those facing or going through divorce. The book is full of practical advice regarding the legal side of divorce but does not forget that there is an emotional side to divorce as well. Divorces can be very costly, the small amount paid for this book could save one a lot of time and money.

The book starts out with a discussion on the differences between separation, divorce, annulments, etc. It is a good overview and introduction to the topic. Chapter two then delves into the first steps after you decide to divorce. There is a lot to do and this book helps you sort through what needs to be done when.

Chapter three focuses on Uncontested Divorces, or when you can agree on how you want to divide things and part amicably. If only all divorces could be this easy.

Chapter four is on mediation, or how you can work things out with the help of a mediator. In many states you have to go to a mediation as part of the court process. People can save a lot of money by seeking out a mediator at the onset and working toward resolution early rather than committing to long drawn out fights.

Chapter five covers when you can't agree on things and you have a contested divorce and trial. Chapter six then covers custody decisions and parenting. Chapter seven continues by addressing custody disputes. From there, chapter eight goes into child support.

Chapters nine and ten cover the division of marital property. Chapters eleven covers spousal support and health insurance, while chapter twelve covers special issues with military divorces.

Chapter thirteen focuses on getting it in writing and covers the basics of preparing a marital settlement agreement. Chapter fourteen is an ugly chapter, but a necessary one, that covers issues regarding when things to wrong. Topics such as domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping, and bankruptcy are discussed here.

Chapter fifteen has a lot of information related to after the divorce while chapter sixteen provides a lot of great resources to find additional information and where to get help.

The appendix provides some additional information and some worksheets to assist you with things such as financial inventories, net worth, income and expenses and budgeting.

Being an attorney, I really liked that this book did not tell you to just do everything yourself, but also provided good information on how to find and work with an attorney. Yes, some divorces can be handled by the parties without any assistance, but sometimes having an attorney can really be beneficial. This book will help make those decisions. I will point out that even though this 2nd edition has updated state laws, it is always prudent to research your own state laws and/or discuss with an attorney licensed in your state to ensure laws have not changed.

Rather than spending money on a "Do it Yourself " divorce book, I think anyone considering divorce would benefit from reading this guide and following the excellent advice provided by Emily Doskow. It is well organized and easy to understand. I really wish so many people didn't need this book, but because the divorce rate is so high, it is a good thing Doskow wrote this guide, because it will help a lot of people.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, author of a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer.

It goes without saying that when you got married you really meant till death do you part. You'd met your soul mate, you were gonna make a life together and it was going to be heaven on earth. But sometimes people change. Sometimes things don't work out the way you'd thought they were going to. Sometimes people make mistakes. Sometimes stuff happens. Sometimes divorce is the only option.

And if you find that's the case with you, then this book is a good place to see what you've in for, especially if children are involved. However, if children are involved I'd urge you to try extra hard to make your marriage work, but maybe you can't. If that's the case I highly recommend that you get this book and read what Emily Doskow has to say about taking the high road, even if you feel that you are the wronged party, because even though you're divorcing your spouse, you're not divorcing your children.

Ms. Doskow walks you through everything you should do and consider before divorcing, during the proceedings and afterwards, when you've come out on the other end. She does it with compassion in her words and without talking down to you. And, most importantly, she does it in laymen's terms. Lord I hate those books you gotta be a lawyer to understand, that is not the case here. This is a good and useful book about a difficult subject that is easy to understand. It really is an essential guide to divorce.

Wading through the rough waters of separation and divorce is a painful journey. If you are considering either, read first, consult later. This book provides a valuable (though general) first look at the realities of divorce. One of the most valuable points of advice is to seek mediation over litigation, an opinion shared by some of my ethical lawyer friends, who note that mediation saves money, time, dignity and angst. But because mediation is not always possible, this book does help to prepare the reader for some harsher scenarios. Overall, this Nolo guide's greatest contribution is a realistic introduction to a complex subject; the better prepared one can be when approaching divorce, the better the outcome. A bit generalized, it receives four stars instead of five, but worth the money. Recommended.

The more Nolo titles I read, the more I like their approach to content. Some titles take the more focused approach of educating you and providing legal forms to get things done yourself, where appropriate, like several in the LLC series. Others, such as this, as stated on the cover, are more of a guide to what you should think about and what you might encounter in the situation. This book is a guide about the divorce process, before, during, and after.

I like the approach of including material in sections called "taking the high road", when you can agree, and "taking the low road", when you cannot. Working things out amicably is emphasized to avoid turning it into an even more arduous, expensive, and painful process. The book handles the issues of separation before divorce, kids and who goes where, finances in divorce, and more. There are special issues sections for when the divorce involves someone in the military and when things really go wrong.

I would recommend this book to someone finding themselves in the unfortunate predicament. It will help as a basis for some support along the way.

This guide in particular is great in that it covers everything in some detail. Note that it's not a super-indepth journey into any topic. For things like child custody or finances, you will definitely need more specialized resources.

One of the big problems with guides that cover divorce is state law. This is no fault of the guide, but a lot of things you still have to look up for your particular state. They simply won't be covered to a great degree of detail, because there are a million different laws, all changing by locality. So, this won't save you homework in that regard. You'll still want to use separate sources to research and be sure, especially if you don't have a lawyer, before to commit to legal life-changing divorce complexities.

One thing I do love is it covers everything, though, as I said. They also have good reminders anyone should be mindful of; that it's worth resolving things amicably rather than fighting (especially with children), that you need to start keeping records, that you should ASAP stop having joint accounts, etc. Lots of good and common sense advice, that may slip by you when undergoing emotional turmoil.

In many ways, books like this are useful for that reason - it provides non-biased black and white advice that can get you started. Friends and family are great, but no one is neutral during a divorce, and this becomes useful for that reason.

This is the best way to start your literary research. From it, you can easily branch out after you know where to start looking. Divorce is so complex, even the simple ones, that not having a map of where to begin is confusing at best. This book is invaluable for that purpose. So no, it's not the only thing you'll need for sure...but it will augment just about anyone's research and study, and make the process of doing so streamlined and easier.

Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce covers nearly every aspect of divorce in 16 easy-to-read chapters. The layout allows you to read straight through or to pick and choose chapters and sections specific to your need. Like all Nolo books, this one includes many highlighted tips, resources and sample documents, graphs or state-specific information.

The biggest downside for me, an avid internet user, is that few of these resources within the pages included websites. In fact there are over 20 references to books, many listed twice within pages, in the first half of the book. Since I'm always on a time crunch, it was a pain that web resources weren't listed within the chapters and I had to turn the page corner down, check out the appendix or just search online blindly for information to complete where the book left off on state specifics.

The appendix is extensive enough, listing at least 1 state specific website per state, along with listing non court divorce websites and a few online financial document services.

I gave this book 4 stars, because it truly covers the main points of divorce and what needs to be done in order to accomplish it. It puts a price tag of different procedures and explains financial, tax, and family consequences. The book maintains an attitude that ex-spouses should work together on a divorce if posssible, yet gives insightful information on how to work around an uncooperative spouse. For many people... this book and a lawyer are all you'll need for a divorce. For those wanting to complete a divorce without a lawyer, then this book will not be the sole provider of information as little is said about pro se and you need more state and court specific information. If anything, you'll have lots of resources on books to purchase or check out at the library!

Divorce law varies widely by state and becomes even more complicated when interstate issues are involved, as they often are these days. Nolo's Guide to Divorce can't cover all these different contexts, but it is a great guide to the process of a divorce generally. It will, as advertised, save you some money in attorney's fees if you use it. But, I think the most valuable thing it does for clients is get them up to speed enough to choose a good attorney. I would not recommend that people undertake their own divorces because I've seen what happens when divorces go wrong. For example, a new client of mine just found out he isn't actually divorced because they forgot to file the signed decree of divorce. Any competent attorney would have caught that. Of course, you want to find the best lawyer you can afford.

Nolo's guide gives you a decent idea of what a divorce can cost and how complicated your particular divorce may be. You'll also learn what kind of questions to ask when interviewing attorneys. That is critical! A good lawyer will save you money and time and hassle by being efficient. Where even good lawyers tend to fall down is on communication with their clients. Particularly in family law, where fees are billed hourly, lawyers tend to view non-legal communication as something to avoid. No client is happy to get a $100 bill for that time they broke down in tears on the phone worrying about whether they'd lose their kids. No lawyer wants to submit a giant bill the client can't afford. But, inevitably in divorces, client communication becomes an issue. The attorney has to bill for work time lost and has to keep the client happy and usually doesn't get that mix just right. Nolo helps here, too.

I am not a family attorney. I avoid it like the plague. I learned that, however, only after trying to help out some friends with their divorces. Bad call on my part, but this guide actually helped. I gave a copy to one of my friends who just wouldn't stop calling with what seemed like very basic questions. After she got the guide, she called less because she had a better idea of the process. Our conversations also became more productive because the guide helps people get their info together and understand why its needed.

So, while it is no substitute for good legal advice, this guide is useful for anyone involved in a divorce and I recommend it, in particular, for people who are considering divorce but haven't hired an attorney. Know what you're getting into before you pull that trigger. And good luck!

Got this book for a friend whose marriage was in trouble and it has been a source of excellent and essential information and advice as she has begun (after years of false starts) her soon to be final exit. Well-written, full of useful info and fairly easy to navigate. Very highly recommended.

This book is a great starting point for someone contemplating separation or divorce. It's very well-organized and it provides a broad overview of many issues associated with divorce, including custody disputes, child support, property, alimony and insurance, and post-divorce issues. It logically outlines all of the things that you should be thinking about before you start the often-messy, emotionally-supercharged process of divorce.

Unless your divorce is amicable and super-simple (no children, no alimony, no significant assets) you will probably be best served by hiring a lawyer. Many people complain about the legal fees racked up in getting a divorce. As lawyers are in the business of selling their time, the more educated you are about divorce topics before you see the lawyer, the less time the lawyer will need to spend educating you. The internet is rife with misinformation about divorce issues. This guide seems to be well-researched and not overtly biased like much of the information out there. I would recommend reading this book through from cover to cover before consulting with an attorney, to make you a more informed consumer of legal services, to help you know what questions to ask when you actually meet with the attorney.

Marriage and divorce are creatures of state statute. One shortcoming of the book is that it doesn't provide much detail on specific state laws. Most states' laws are available on the official state web sites, and with a little searching, you should be able to find them. Of course, the laws are generally written in legalese.

This book will take you step by step on what to do, and what to expect when going through a divorce. How to pick a lawyer, what to discuss with your lawyer. There is a section that deals with Children, custody and child support. How to deal with your X, how to divide the household and so much more!
This is the book, I wish I had, when I divorced!