Filing without a lawyer? You're not alone.
You can do this.
divorce.talk reads your court orders, motions, and the other side's filings — and explains every page in plain English, with citations. Backed by a growing library of state-specific divorce guides. Unlimited use, $29.99 a month.
14-day free trial. No credit card. Two minutes to your first answer.
It feels overwhelming. We know.
Half of all family law cases in the U.S. have at least one self-represented party. Most don't end up there because they want to — they end up there because attorneys cost more than they have, and the paperwork doesn't care. We built this for them. For you.
- What does this paragraph actually mean for the kids?
- Is there a deadline I'm missing on this notice?
- Am I getting taken advantage of in this settlement?
- Do I have to respond to this — and by when?
- What questions am I supposed to be asking?
How it works
Three steps. About sixty seconds.
No legal training required. If you can send an email, you can use this.
Upload your papers
Court orders, custody filings, financial affidavits, your spouse's pleadings — drop them in. PDFs, photos of scanned pages, anything.
Ask anything, as much as you need
"What does this clause mean for parenting time?" "Am I required to respond to this?" Type it like you'd text a friend who happens to be a lawyer. No question caps.
Get answers with receipts
Every answer cites the exact page and paragraph it came from. You're not trusting a robot — you're reading your own paperwork, translated.
What you're describing is the difference between legal custody and physical custody. Your order gives you joint legal custody — equal say in big decisions about education, medical care, and religious upbringing — and primarily-weekend physical custody, where they sleep most nights.
Whether that's “fair” is a separate question. If you want to modify physical custody time, that's a different filing — usually a Motion to Modify.
Built for what you're actually worried about
Not generic advice. Your case, your papers.
AI case-file analysis
Upload the judge's order, your spouse's filings, financial affidavits. The assistant reads every page and tells you what it means for you — with citations to the exact paragraph.
Deadline flagging
Most pro se losses happen because someone missed a response deadline. We surface them automatically.
Settlement sanity-check
Paste in a proposed agreement. We tell you what's standard, what's unusual, and what to push back on.
Form translations
"Affidavit of Income and Expenses" doesn't have to be terrifying. We walk you through every field.
Stays yours
Your documents are encrypted, never shared, and never used to train anything. Cancel and they're gone.
Unlimited use · Resource library
No question caps. No "come back next month." Plus a growing library of state-specific guides, filing checklists, and custody basics — included.
Tailored to your state
Divorce rules vary. We adjust.
Waiting periods, property regimes, custody defaults — the rules are different in every state. Pick yours to see the snapshot we use as a starting point.
Quick reference only — not legal advice. Always verify with your state court's published rules.
Texas snapshot
Community property- Waiting period
- 60-day cooling-off period from filing before a decree can be entered (limited exceptions).
- Property division
- Community property is divided in a manner the court deems just and right — typically near-equal.
- Custody starting point
- Joint managing conservatorship is presumed; possession schedules often follow the Standard Possession Order.
- Residency to file
- 6 months in Texas and 90 days in the county where you file.
Snapshot only. Statutes change; counties vary. Confirm any specific deadline with your court before relying on it.
Privacy
Your case is invisible to your spouse.
The biggest fear we hear: “Can they see what I'm uploading?” No. Your spouse, their attorney, and the court have no way in. Your case file is yours.
Only you can sign in
Every case lives in a private account tied to your email. Your spouse, their attorney, and the court have no login — they can't see your files, your questions, or our answers.
Isolated by design
Accounts never share data. Isolation is enforced server-side on every request, so even a bug in one account cannot leak into another.
Encrypted at rest
Files are encrypted on disk and in transit. Sessions sign out when you do. We don't post anything publicly and we don't sell your data — to anyone, ever.
Subpoenas don't get a shortcut
If someone tries to demand your case file through legal process, we'll push back on overbreadth and notify you whenever the law lets us. We don't hand things over because someone asks nicely.
Honest about what we're for
This isn't right for every divorce.
Call an attorney if any of these apply — and we can still help you understand the paperwork along the way.
Domestic violence concerns
Safety planning, restraining orders, and protective-order procedure need a local advocate or attorney who can act fast.
Contested custody with a lawyered-up other side
If the other parent has hired counsel and custody is genuinely in dispute, you should not be filing alone.
Complex business or real-estate assets
Owned businesses, multiple properties, retirement accounts, or significant tax exposure usually need a CPA and counsel working together.
Disputed paternity
Establishing or contesting paternity has procedural rules that vary by state and benefit from licensed representation.
An active protective order
If a no-contact or protective order is in place, even routine filings can have unintended legal consequences.
Military divorce
SCRA protections, jurisdiction across duty stations, and pension division under USFSPA all add complexity worth paying for help on.
You should not be self-representing in these cases. We can still translate documents and explain procedure — but the strategic decisions belong with a licensed attorney in your state.
The math
One plan. Unlimited use.
Less than two hours of an attorney.
Unlimited document uploads. Unlimited questions. Full access to the resource library. No retainer, no hourly clock.
Family-law attorney retainer
$3,500 – $7,000
up front
Hourly consultation
$300 – $500
per hour
Online divorce service
$499
flat, forms only
divorce.talk
Unlimited everything. Cancel anytime.
$29.99/month
Cancel anytime. First answer in two minutes.
Attorney costs are national averages for uncontested family-law matters. We're not a substitute for legal advice when you need it — we're the daily-driver everyone else uses for everything in between.