Filing all your finished paperwork is the next step in processing your divorce request. The court clerk will look over all your forms, both the copies and the originals. Here, any discrepancies will be caught and if all is well with the completion of your forms then the copies will be stamped ‘Filed’ and given back to you and the originals will be kept.

Along with all the other forms you’ve filed, you should have included forms requesting items like child support orders, domestic violence protection orders etc. These are temporary orders that a judge will make. These types of cases can get difficult and it’s in your best interest to seek the advice of a lawyer or family law facilitator.

These 1st forms are petitions for your divorce and when you file them it is regularly called the ‘first appearance’. Registering the forms will call for a filing fee and the clerk will let you know how much it will be. If you cannot afford to pay the fee you can request that it be waived.