Pro Se Divorces in Utah
There is a high percentage of divorces in Utah that proceed through the court system with at least one party unrepresented by an attorney. An examination of divorce data in Utah provides some ideas on why Utah has such a high rate of pro se divorce litigants.
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.
In the year 2000, there have been 10,600 children involved in a divorce in Utah. The number has increased greatly in the years since.
According to a study of statistics by Utah State University on the most recent data 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.
One possible reason for the low rate of legal representation in Utah is that a lot of residents marry at a young age. Combined with Utah's statistically short marriage spans in divorces, the couple may not have had a lot of chance to develop careers and are financially unable to hire an attorney. Also the higher number of divorce cases with children means extra expenses in custody battles that makes legal assistance even more tough to afford.
Recently, the Utah courts have been attempting to calculate the number of divorce cases that have at least one party unrepresented by a lawyer. At lawyer continuing education classes, representatives from the Utah court system have estimated that 70% of Utah divorces involve at least one participant who does not have an attorney. Lawyers have been asked by Judges to find a way to provide advice to parties who are planning on going to court without a lawyer.
Commissioners and judges are now having to handle a larger caseload because of cutbacks in funding for the Utah court system, and are receiving less administrative assistance than before. This makes dealing with self-represented litigants even more frustrating as the lack of correct arguments and procedures decreases the efficiency of the courts.
Several firms in Utah are responding by providing pay-as-you-go services for pro se litigants that can't afford a full retainer or by providing free consultations. Some local law firms are providing both options.
Self-represented parties ought to consider obtaining help before showing up in court without representation.
Contact a Utah divorce law firm to learn more.
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