Trend: Filing for Divorce Online

    A click of a mouse can get you a divorce in some courts around the country, and it's raising some concern. Courts in Broward County, Fla., and Maricopa, Ariz. are letting couples file for divorce online. The cost is paltry -- about $400 in Broward County -- compared to thousands of dollars in attorney's fees, and the process is simple.

In Broward County, divorce paperwork is found under "self-service" forms, which also include documents for evictions and small claims courts. A few clicks later and an estranged wife or husband is filling out a questionnaire that asks whether the marriage is irretrievably broken, among other queries. From there, the user completes the documents. There's a $20 for filling out the paperwork and a $364 charge for filing them.

Maricopa County's system, which already offers a self-service center where people can go to the courthouse to pick up forms for divorce and other civil cases, is called eCourt. It's an interactive program that allows divorcing spouses to complete forms from a computer anywhere. The documents are downloadable and available at http://ecourt.maricopa.gov/index.asp.

The click-of-a-mouse approach to divorce worries some. "The divorce process now is too easy, and research has shown its ease has increased its prevalence over the last few decades," said Glenn T. Stanton, director of global family formation studies at Focus on the Family, a Christian-based organization that promotes traditional family values. "Anyone can legally end a 15-year marriage quicker than you can get out of a cell-phone contract you entered yesterday."  

The do-it-yourself approach to divorce doesn't encourage couples try to save their marriage. "All families and marriage should exist in a community. We have our friends and family there when we marry, typically. At weddings, the couple invites their friends and family to be a part of their marriage, to pray for them, to support them, give advice, correction and encouragement," Stanton said.

"Divorce should happen the same way, with the advice, support and correction of the family and friends. "More divorces could be avoided if this happened more. We are all more vulnerable when we are separated from community. That is what dooms many marriages." 


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

If you live in the Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale area and want more information about online divorce services, visit the Broward County Clerk of Courts Web site at http://www.clerk-17th-flcourts.org. Click on self-service forms.

If you live the Phoenix area and would like more information on Maricopa County's eCourt, go to  http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/SuperiorCourt/FamilyCourt/preDecree.asp
For more information about Focus on the Family and its services, http://www.family.org

Maria Moya is an award-winning reporter who has more than 15 years of experience and has written for daily newspapers in the Southeast.