DIVORCE WITH KIDS

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 Request a Quote of what is included - Divorce, WITH Kid(s)

•  A "Complaint for Dissolution of Marriage" is your  first Court filing - it STARTS your Divorce.   
• Our fee includes completion of the Complaint, the 3 required Confidential Forms and necessary communication with you to file.
• Click for NJB Form KIDS Plaintiff Complaint
• Instructions
• Confidential Statistical Form 
• Confidential Employment Form 
• Confidential Gender SS Form. 
• All 4 (Complaint and 3 Confidential Forms) are MANDATORY
• Fee does NOT include the $158 Court Clerk filing 

To officially "include" your spouse in your Divorce, ONE of these 4 (below) is MANDATORY.   The first is the easiest and least expensive.  

1.  Your spouse signs and we file his/her "Voluntary Appearance".  
2.  Sheriff "serves" Divorce papers to your spouse
3.  A process server "serves" your spouse.
4.  If those 3 fail - we publish notice of it.

• A "Voluntary Appearance" document signed by your spouse (and notarized) means  the Sheriff does not have to serve your Divorce papers on your  spouse. 
• This fee includes prep of the Voluntary Appearance, letter to your spouse and necessary communication with you  to do so.
• There is no court filing cost payable to the Clerk.

• What if your spouse will not sign a Voluntary Appearance? 
• Have the Sheriff serve  (hand the papers to) him/her.
• This fee includes prep the NJB Praecipe  to serve your spouse, and communication with you AND the Sheriff  to do so 
• It does NOT include the  sheriff costs ($20-$60 and up ) .
• NJB Instructions are how to FILE  Praecipe - but are silent w/r to Sheriff procedures and protocols TO serve your spouse  eMail 

• What if the Sheriff cannot find your spouse?   
• Then, service by a process server. 
• This Private Process Server fee includes prep of all the papers and communication with you  (and Private Process Server ) to do so. 
• It does NOT include the process server costs ($50-$175)  
• There are no NJB private process server forms   

• What if the Process Server cannot find your spouse?   
• Then, service by  publication. 
• This fee includes prep of all the papers and communication with you  (and the  legal newspaper) to do so. 
• It does NOT include the  publication costs ($50-$90)     

• What if you did not file?  But, your spouse did?  
• What do YOU need to do?  
• File an Answer and Counterclaim.     
• This fee includes prep of the NJB Form for your Answer and Counterclaim and necessary communication with you to do so.  

• OK - you are the Plaintiff (you filed).
• But now your spouse HAS filed an Answer AND a Counterclaim.
• What do YOU need to do?
• File an Answer to your spouse's Counterclaim.
• This fee includes prep of your Answer to a  Counterclaim and  necessary communication with you  to do so. 
• NJB does not provide a Form for an Answer to a Counterclaim
• But if your spouse filed an Answer AND a Counterclaim - you best answer the Counterclaim.  

• The Parenting Class is MANDATORY
• Douglas County Conciliation and Mediation services ("DCCM") offers a 2 hr in person class, every other Thurs ($50).  
• DCCM Letter to Parents
• DCCM Letter to Parents re Class 
• Others offer an online Class ($35-50)
• Here is the NJB List of other Class Providers
• Other Parent Will not attend?   eMail 

• Once you take the Parenting Class, your Certificate of Completion must be filed w/ the Court Clerk.  
• In Douglas County, if you do not take the DCCM class, you must also notify DCCM you took the class from someone else.

• A Parenting Plan is MANDATORY
• If you are in Douglas County,  tweaks to a Parenting Plan are, almost always, required by DCCM who must approve Parenting Plans.
• Such tweaks are usually minor, but still take time.         
• See Below for sample Parenting Plan links

You can also arrange to Mediate a Parenting Plan with an  Approved Parenting Act Mediator.   eMail 

• DCCM Sample Pro Se (Pro Se = Do It Yourself) Parenting Plan
• DCCM Pro Se Parenting Plan Worksheet
• DCCM Pro Se Parenting Plan Checklist w/ Sample Clauses
• NJB Parenting Plan - Joint Legal & Physical
•  Instructions for Above 
• NJB Parent Plan Joint Legal Sole Physical 
• Instructions for Above
• NJB Parenting Plan Sole Legal & Sole Physical 
• Instructions for Above
• NJB Other Parent Won't Sign - Court Created PP
• NJB Other Parent Wont' Sign - Plaintiff Created PP

•  May NOT be necessary IF you and your Spouse agree to all issues.
• But if you do not agree, Temporary Orders protect you until a final Decree is signed.  
• The NJB has no Form Motion for Temporary Orders
•  eMail   if you want one
• Why might you want one?
• You want ORDERED child support
• Spouse is dissipating assets, or
• You want your spouse out of the house, or 
• You want to make SURE you spouse keeps you/Kids on health insurance, or
• Any matter you feel you need protection on, pending a Final Decree.

• MANDATORY for a Motion for Temporary Orders for Child Custody.   
• Click Here for NJB Custody Information Affidavit 
• NJB provides No Instructions for this Affidavit

• MANDATORY for a Motion for Temporary Child Support.   
• Click Here for NJB Financial Information Affidavit
• Click Here for Finanacial Affidavit Instructions

• It is MANDATORY 
• Prepared from your and your spouses previous year's W2s or recent pay-stubs which show Year To Date Gross Earnings .
• Click for NE Child Support Guidelines
• Click for Sample Child Support Worksheet

• There is a 1 hour minimum.  
• Temporary Hearings are conducted by Affidavit only
• If you have an attorney, that attorney meets with the judge.  
• If the other party shows up, he/she is allowed to testify if he/she has not submitted an Affidavit

• The NJB has no Form Temporary Orders

• A Decree is MANDATORY.
• Click Here for NJB WITH KIDS Final Decree
• NOTE; Section 20 of that NJB WITH KIDS Decree states: "  Each party shall keep the property in each party’s possession and shall be responsible for the debts each has incurred.   "
• If your division of property or debt is otherwise - a better alternative is a Property Settlement Agreement
• A Property Settlement Agreement can further detail any property or debt agreements  - it then is incorporated INTO the Decree

• Why might I need a PSA? 
• If you do not FEEL right about the amount of your child support, or shared medical expenses or child care expenses.
• If you do not FEEL right about the division of ASSETS or DEBTS, or, you feel you are receiving less assets or taking on more debt than you feel you deserve.  
• Simply - if you just do not TRUST that your Spouse is being fair.
• Division of real property, a house, is nearly always better handled in a PSA. 

• This document allows a Court to sign a Final Decree w/out either party being present in Court.
• NJB does not have a form for it.
• You and your spouse EACH need to sign one, in front of a Notary, who also signs and seals it.