When you need to get divorced in Florida, you have two basic options. You can either hire a lawyer to handle your entire case for you or you can try to go it alone, prepare your own Florida divorce forms, and represent yourself in court. While the latter might seem like the more affordable option, there certainly are some drawbacks to deciding to go this route.

Here is a closer look at the downside of preparing your own Florida divorce forms.

• It takes time to prepare Florida divorce forms—The truth is there is a lot of paperwork that goes into filing for divorce in Florida. The clerk requires you to file a civil cover sheet, related cases statement, petition for dissolution of marriage, and other documents. This is a lot of paperwork for you to go through and thoughtfully prepare. Unless you’re an experienced divorce attorney, it’s probably going to take you a good amount of time to prepare everything properly and file it accordingly.

• The required paperwork might vary by location—In addition to the Florida divorce forms mentioned above, you may be required to file additional paperwork depending upon the location you’re filing for divorce in. That’s because local rules often vary across the state. There are forms required by local administrative rule or administrative order, and a lot of websites that sell Florida divorce forms don’t have these locally required forms. If you hire an experienced lawyer, you’ll have someone on your side who knows which forms are required and who can prepare and file them on your behalf.

• Mistakes could cause delays in your case—If you make any mistakes in preparing and filing your Florida divorce forms, the clerk or judge could decide to reject your case. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get divorced, but it does mean that you’ll have to basically start over and file again for divorce. This means you’ll have to pay the court filing fees again and take the time to once again prepare all of the required paperwork for filing for divorce in Florida.

• Working with the courts is challenging—Even if your case does get filed, getting your case moved forward is often a huge challenge. There’s a lot of waiting and waiting for court actions. Many courts don’t take action on their own. The litigant has to be proactive in filing paperwork, setting hearings, and providing notice to the court and opposing side. It’s a lot of work, and it’s simply often too much for one inexperienced person to handle on his or her own.

Filing for divorce on your own is clearly time-consuming and challenging. That’s why so many people decide to hire an experienced divorce lawyer. With a good lawyer on your side, you’ll have someone who can prepare your papers, file them, and appear in court on your behalf. If you’re getting a Florida uncontested divorce, you may not even have to show up in court!

Consider the benefits of hiring a lawyer to prepare your Florida divorce forms and to represent you in court.