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Preparation PackFamily LawMedium
Divorce Without Lawyer Preparation Checklist
Prepare for a divorce route where you are considering handling some steps yourself by organising marriage records, children’s arrangements, financial disclosure, settlement questions, court-form questions, and escalation triggers.
Time to prepare2-5 hours
Before you decide
0/3 completedNeed help with this checklist?
Get support from a lawyer who works with family law matters.
Before court, mediation, or advice
0/4 completedOn the filing or review day
0/3 completedAfterwards
0/3 completedWhen It Applies
You are considering an uncontested or self-managed divorce step and need to organise documents before deciding whether to get legal help.
You need to identify which issues may make a lawyer, Legal Aid, mediation, or court guidance more important.
Not For
- Legal advice on whether you should divorce without a lawyer.
- Drafting pleadings, settlement terms, parenting terms, pension terms, or court papers without proper review.
- Domestic violence, child abduction, urgent safety, or urgent court relief without immediate legal help.
Documents
- ID documents
- Marriage certificate
- Antenuptial contract
- Birth certificates
- Existing court orders
- Parenting plan draft
- Settlement draft
- Payslips
- Bank statements
- Expense list
- Property records
- Pension details
- Proof of service
Timeline
- Before deciding: check whether every major issue is agreed.
- Before filing or signing: collect family and financial records.
- Before court: confirm service, forms, child arrangements, and settlement wording.
- Afterwards: save stamped documents and calendar compliance dates.
Tips
- Treat 'uncontested' as a document and agreement question, not only a relationship question.
- Bring financial records even if the matter feels agreed.
- Use limited-scope legal review if you are unsure about settlement wording.
- Do not ignore child, pension, property, or maintenance details to keep the process simple.
Warning Signs
- There are minor children, maintenance disputes, pension interests, property, businesses, debts, trusts, or foreign assets.
- A spouse controls documents or money.
- You are being pressured to sign.
- Safety, relocation, or child-contact risk is present.
Official sources
- Department of Justice Family AdvocateFamily Advocate and child-related divorce context.
- Department of Justice MaintenanceMaintenance-route and family-support context.
- Legal Aid South Africa family mattersFamily-law legal-help context.
- Legal Practice Council list of legal practitionersLegal-practitioner discovery and verification context.
This checklist is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.
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