Online divorce in Virginia isn’t what you may think it is. You can’t actually get divorced entirely online in Virginia. Rather, you can download the initial divorce papers, but you will need to file them. You may also need to attend one or more hearings at the court in order to finalize your case.
Some Virginia counties have self-service center forms/instructions, but even if you were to go to a site like RocketLawyer or LegalZoom to download forms, you still can’t file them online, this is just a service that sells access to the documents.
Even though lawyers and parties have the option to electronically file some documents, the divorce process itself doesn’t happen “online” (regardless of whether someone is represented or not).
Some people think struggling through the details just makes the cheaper path a little bumpier. But if you don’t understand what you are doing, it becomes more than bumpy. A do it yourself divorce can leave you with a divorce decree that doesn’t meet your needs, much less your interests. And once the judge issues that decree, it becomes very hard to change it.
And you may not even save money! You don’t pay attorney fees in a do it yourself divorce, but you will need to pay later if you need to make changes. You also risk leaving money on the table without someone representing your interests. Do it yourself divorce can be much more expensive than hiring a lawyer.
