Hello. I am 21 years old, my son is 4. I work full time and I attend college full time online. I live in MD. I have been married for 4 years. This website has given me a lot of information, and I have filed for divorce and everything else on my own. Neither of us have a lawyer and it is an uncontested divorce. So far so good. However, I feel like I am completely lost. I have my first court date, but there is a problem. "If you are the Plaintiff representing yourself, you are required to have a witness at this hearing who can testify to the facts of this case." I don't have any friends or family up here, and my ex lives three hours away, too. It's just my son and I. My problem is that I need a witness. I called to ask to see what kinds of facts need to be verified so I can know if my boss can be a witness or not, but the lady I spoke with said it was confidential. The hearing is supposed to be 20 minutes, so if anyone knows if these questions are yes no answers or more in depth, it would be appreciated. Otherwise I have to bring my mom up here who lives 8 hours away. I'll give you more details upon request, but for now I have already written a lot. Thank you for your help in this matter.
Do you have a nearby university with a law school where you could call to ask this question?
There's a post about 3 down from this with some legal advice/website page, maybe that could be a contact?
Are there are any helper agencies in your town that you could enlist several hours of help that they could attend the court case with you. I'm sure they would charge some sort of fee for their services, but maybe that is option?
Perhaps you can get some sort of waiver because of your situation. Or university with legal dept., might be able to furnish a student to attend as witness. Just some ideas.
It does sound like you are in a bind right now.
If nothing else, maybe your mom could come stay for a visit, & utilize it as a reason to spend some time with her. I know that going to court is stressful and there is so much to do in divorce. I pray that you find a solution that works out!
I will call and ask around I guess. I will also review the posts below mine. The fee is not a problem, I had enough money to hire a lawyer, but since the divorce is uncontested I did not want to provoke the situation at all. I will do research on all of this. And I'll try to find out about the helper agency and even a law student. I was just wondering, because I did not know how someone could be a witness to the facts of the case. My boss knows the facts, but technically he does not have proof. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.