I just wanted to thank Rosen Law Firm for this site, and everyone on the forums for great advice. My divorce finally went through, and thanks to some excellent support from here I came out OK. She lawyered up when I filed and fought me in court, but the separation agreement that we drafted based on the forms provided here was held up in court. My lawyer had 2 things to say to me when we were done - 1) I did a very good job with my research on this site. 2) He is going to send everyone he hears is going to do it on their own to me so I can tell them to HAVE A LAWYER REVIEW EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU SIGN IT!!! 
I missed a thing or two in my haste to save myself and my ex money and it almost cost me. However, as a word of encouragement to everyone going through this, you can make it!
I’ll post some tips based on my case if the mods say it is OK. (is the court case considered public record?)
Now I’m off to mediation this week, then I’ll be done
Congratulations on getting this far. To answer your question, any thing decided in your case while in court is public record, as for the rest, you are entitled to share with whomever you please so long as there is no confidentiality clause in any of your documents.
We welcome you to share your thoughts in response to the questions of other posters! I am sure many folks would appreciate your point of view as it relates to their questions.
Great! First, a quick overview-
- we separated
- 2 months later I drew up the separation agreement based on this site (I needed one in order to sign up for insurance in the middle of the year)
- She took it home for a week to study
- She had some issues and we compromised and made changes
- We signed and had it notorized
- Later she changed her mind and hired a lawyer, and tried to get it thrown out
- After a battle in court it was upheld
Now, some tips for BOTH sides:
- ALWAYS get a lawyer to read over these before you sign it. If you miss anything they can save you a lot of trouble.
- Be certain that you totally agree with EVERYTHING in it before you sign. It is a contract and will be treated as such by the court.
- For Pete’s sake, make sure the word alimony is included or reference the particular NC statute number to avoid possible trouble (I didn’t)
- If you need a lawyer and are worried about money, the best way to keep the cost down is to do the legwork yourself before you go to them. Bring EVERYTHING with you. The first time I walked in the door I had a complete list of finances and bills (with copies), a sheet with the basic timeline of our marriage and separation (facts only!), a sheet on everyone involved with any important details they might need to know, and a copy of the signed and notorized Separation Agreement. It saved me a lot of money by having this ready for them.
- Even though there is A LOT of emotion involved, try to keep it out of the lawyer’s office. Sifting through that looking for facts takes time, and their time is your money.
I hope this helps. I’ll answer any questions that I can.