Not able to afford lawyer

contact legal aid in your county, they may help. There are alternitives to “abandonment”. There are other factors, like is he/she a dependant spouse, any privsons to help with the shared expenses, propety involved, children, etc… You do not have to have a seperation agreement in place in order to seperate; although it is adviseable. Without the particulars in your case, there are too many variables.

She would be considered as a dependent spouse. She hasn’t been willing to work any more than she needed to as just to get the bills paid. Nothing extra to save or anything like that. I have tried for 2 months to get her to come to some sort of agreement to go to a lawyer with for much cheaper than retaining them.

She refuses. She is now threatening to contact my employer, to tell them I am talking to different women I work with and that they need to stop me from talking to them as it is not appropriate to talk to someone of the opposite sex. I’ve already talked to my HR about my home situation, so not concerned about getting into any work problems, but threats like that are why I need to do something, but can’t afford a retainer.

I’ll try to locate Legal Aid for my county and see what they can suggest. Legal Aid doesn’t look to see if it is the man or woman calling them, just who may need assistance, right?

If you cannot reach an agreement and you cannot afford an attorney to help you negotiate an agreement, then your choice would be to file a lawsuit and ask the court to make a decision for your. You can represent yourself in court, however you will be responsible for knowing the rules the same way an attorney is responsible for knowing the rules.

Helena M. Nevicosi
Attorney with Rosen Law Firm

4101 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 500
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
919.787.6668 main phone
919.787.6361 main fax

Charlotte Office
301 McCullough Drive
Suite 510
Charlotte, NC 28262
Main Phone: (704)307.4600
Main Fax: (704) 9343.0044

Durham & Chapel Hill Office
1829 East Franklin Street
Building 600
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
(919) 321.0780

The response posted above is based upon the limited factual information made available and is not intended as a full and complete response to the question. The only reliable manner to obtain complete and adequate legal advice is to consult with an attorney, fully explain your situation, and allow the attorney sufficient opportunity to research the applicable law and facts required to render an accurate opinion. The basic information provided above is intended as a public service only, a full discussion with an attorney should be undertaken before taking any action. The information posted on this forum is available for public viewing and is not intended to create an attorney client relationship with any individual. These answers are provided for informational purposes only, a person should consult with their own individual legal counsel before taking any action that could affect their legal rights or obligations.

What do you do, when not able to afford a lawyer to proceed with separation? I had a consultation, and was told I could try to come to a compromise with my spouse to separate, then it would not cost a retainer fee for the lawyer, only their fee to write up a separation agreement.

For people that can’t come to a compromise, yet can’t afford a lawyers retainer, what do you do? What options are available for someone that can’t afford retaining a lawyer?

I know I can’t just move out because that is abandonment.