Girl on the Brink: Surviving Desperate Times with Desperate Measures

I emerged from my apartment dwelling to see a lawyer. Financial problems also create legal troubles. I feel hounded by them.

First, I grappled with the legal issues of my divorce. Now, my ex-lawyer is after me for not paying him the thousands of dollars he thinks he deserves. I want justice, too, and that’s why I’m seeing a lawyer to get me out of this mess.

I looked extra poor yesterday. While I have a Jack Georges leather briefcase, I chose a Safeway grocery bag to carry my files to his office. The bag was also stuffed with my gym clothes.

I have come to know all of the great places to get free, or nearly free, legal advice. One of the things about losing your job is that it puts extra stressors on a relationship. I don’t think the statistics matter. You don’t need numbers to tell me how much money woes create friction between two married adults. Don’t feel too bad if unemployment turns your relationship sour.

But not to worry and don’t get fooled into thinking that you need to retain a high-priced lawyer to untangle yourself from your husband or wife. From my experience, I’d say about 80 percent of the folk who breeze through the security line at D.C. Superior Court are do-it-yourselfers.

You want to put pro se (pronounced pro say), a Latin phrase that means “for himself” on your legal documents, however. (Some states use in pro per, which basically means the same thing.)  In D.C., you can have a do-it-yourself divorce, legal separation or annulment. The D.C. Bar posts the forms you’ll need for these projects.

The self-help legal clinic at the D.C. courthouse is staffed with real attorneys and J.D. majors who will tell you which forms you’ll need to fill out if you’re unsure and help you fill in the blanks. Unfortunately, you can’t call; it’s a recorded line stating hours of operation.

If you must retain a lawyer, calling the D.C. Bar (202) 737-4700 (press option 4) will route your call to a recording listing free or low-cost legal services. The Montgomery County Bar Association offers a lawyer referral service. Call (301)-279-9100 (press 1 to skip over the Maryland Foreclosure Hotline unless you’d find that useful).

The way legal referral services work is that you’re connected to a lawyer who’ll only charge you about $40 for 45 minutes of their time. If you retain the lawyer, the hourly fee is less than if you had found him or her through the yellow pages. You can also try calling the University of the District of Columbia School of Law (202) 274-7400, George Washington University’s Community Legal Clinic at (202) 994-7463, or the Legal Aid Society of DC at (202) 628-1161. They all offer legal services. I’ve called them all, but they never seem to be taking new cases.