Divorce Bootcamp for Low- and Moderate-Income Women (6th Edition): A Step-by-Step Guide to Navigating Divorce

by Anna T. Merrill Esq.

Overview

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average woman's family income drops by 37% after divorce. Do you know what assets or how much alimony or child support you are entitled to receive? Has your spouse threatened to leave you penniless? Have you spoken to an attorney and gotten sticker-shock? Do you earn too much money to qualify for free legal aid? This book was written to help the low- and moderate-income women the legal system has abandoned by walking a hypothetical self-represented woman step-by-step through the divorce process, including:

-- How to prepare financially to stand on your own two feet;

-- What the court can, and cannot do for you;

-- 'Legwork' that can save you money on legal fees and help you get a better outcome;

-- How much child support and alimony you might be entitled to receive;

-- Custody disputes ... 'fatal flaws' and how you can fix them.

-- How to show a judge that your spouse is lying about their assets and income;

-- What property you are entitled to receive ... and should ask for;

-- Ways vindictive ex-spouses can hide money ... and how to prove they are lying;

-- Real life dirty tricks, traps, and pitfalls highlighted so you can avoid them;

-- Mediation and court-connected Alternative Dispute Resolution ... benefits and pitfalls;

-- How to dig up information your spouse doesn't want you to know (discovery) like an attorney;

-- Common court forms and how to fill them out;

-- Separation Agreements dissected and clarified; including two blank fill-in-the form boilerplates which you can download and use in your own divorce;

-- Sample discovery requests and motions – we'll dissect each motion and show what information you can use it to get;

-- Sample hearing scripts for common court hearings (including Restraining Order hearings, Temporary Order hearings, Custody Dispute hearings, Contempt hearings, and parts of a mock-Trial);

-- Restraining orders ... how to get one ... how to keep one;

Filled with helpful examples of common court forms and legal pleadings, this book will introduce you to everything you NEVER wanted to know about divorce ... but need to come up to speed ... FAST!!! This is the only self-help legal book written by a woman who was once in your shoes who later went back to school to become an attorney!

The 6th Edition has been completely updated with the latest case law, including ways to sensitively handle a Christian divorce, caveats regarding same-sex couple custody disputes post-Obergefell, and a completely rewritten Separation Agreement chapter with suggested clauses for unusual situations such as extraordinary school fees, private school or homeschooling.

BONUS: links to download, edit and print blank Separation Agreement forms.
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KIRKUS: "A solid, informative self-help divorce guide. This exhaustive...guide covers a range of topics related to contested and uncontested divorces, including how to gather documentation of assets, estimate child support and alimony, and even, if necessary, obtain restraining orders. She discusses many topics related to asset division and child custody, including marital debt and visitation rights. The book is aimed at the broadest possible audience, but also discusses variations in state laws." (Review of the 5th Edition).
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Legal Disclaimer: This book is not meant to constitute legal advice. The author is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts. Links have been provided to direct women to their local court resources in all 50 states, but the court forms, case histories and property division examples used are loosely based upon cases from Massachusetts. This book is NOT a replacement for consultation with a licensed local attorney.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949763119
Publisher:	Seraphim Press
Publication date:	12/16/2018
Series:	Divorce Bootcamp Legal Self-Help series , #1
Edition description:	6th Edition
Pages:	500
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 1.01(d)

About the Author

Anna T. Merrill practices family law, intellectual property law, and municipal 'green' zoning law on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She is passionate about providing affordable, sensible legal services for 'real' people who the mainstream legal system has forgotten. She serves men and women equally, but volunteers her legal services to various agencies to help low- and moderate-income people access the legal system.
She has worked with agencies such as the Committee for Public Counsel Services Children and Family Law Project, and also pro bono legal work for women's services agencies such as WE CAN, Inc., and the Women's Bar Foundation Family Law Project for Battered Women. She is also trained in corporate law with a specialty in business continuity services (i.e., disaster planning) and worked five years in the business continuity field helping Fortune 500 companies draft and implement continuity (disaster) plans.
She is a graduate of Massachusetts School of Law, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lesley University and an Associate's Degree in Business from Fisher College.

Editorial Reviews

DIVORCE BOOTCAMP is full of information that will help you navigate through the chaos of divorce proceedings. The best part is that it's written in plain English that anyone can understand. A lot of books written by attorneys and judges are very dry and difficult to read. But not this book. Ms. Merrill speaks directly to the reader and makes it easy to find the information you need. As someone who has worked in the family court system for twenty years, I highly recommend this book.

State of Texas Custody Evaluator & Mediator - Rhonda Hopkins

IT IS ABSOLUTELY MUST TO HAVE BOOK! I am in a process of a nasty divorce and this book has the most practical and valuable information. If you would get one book about divorce, this must be the one. It guides you step by step through the process and most importantly gives you samples of all the motions, letters, orders and other documents you may need during an uneasy and complicated process of divorce.

Reader review - Irina Pritchard

A very helpful book to start & continue to reference during this overwhelming period. A great book to turn the final page on.

Reader review - Joyce Gentile

"A solid, informative self-help divorce guide. This exhaustive...guide covers a range of topics related to contested and uncontested divorces, including how to gather documentation of assets, estimate child support and alimony, and even, if necessary, obtain restraining orders. She discusses many topics related to asset division and child custody, including marital debt and visitation rights. The book is aimed at the broadest possible audience, but also discusses variations in state laws."

Kirkus