Pro Se Divorce Information In Utah

There’s a high percentage of divorces in Utah that proceed through the court system with at least one party unrepresented by an attorney. An examination of divorce data in Utah gives some ideas on why Utah has such a high rate of pro se divorce litigants.

Utah is no less divorce prone than any other State. The Utah divorce rate is at least 4.3 per 1000 which is actually higher than the United States divorce rate of 4.1 per 1000. The median age at divorce in Utah for first marriages for husbands is 31 and for wives, 29.

In the year 2000, there have been 10,600 kids involved in a divorce in Utah. The number has increased greatly in the years since.

Statistics from 2000, which is the most recent available data, show that 50% of Utah divorces happen within the first 5 years of marriage. In Utah,’% of divorces occur within the first 12 months of marriage.

A possible reason for Utah’s high rate of self-representation could be that with the brief length of marriage before divorcing and couples getting married at a young age, the parties have not had a lot of time or opportunity to earn high wages and are unable to afford a lawyer. Another issue may be the high rate of divorce cases involving child custody issues that creates additional expense and makes the case more expensive.

Recently, the Utah courts have been trying to calculate the amount of divorce cases that have at least one party unrepresented by a lawyer. At lawyer continuing education classes, representatives from the Utah court system have estimated that 70% of Utah divorces involve at least one participant who will not have an attorney. Lawyers have been asked by Judges to find a way to provide advice to parties who are planning on going to court without a lawyer.

Commissioners and judges are currently having to handle a larger caseload due to cutbacks in funding for the Utah court system, and are receiving less administrative assistance than before. This makes dealing with self-represented litigants even more frustrating as the lack of proper arguments and procedures decreases the efficiency of the courts.

Many law firms have responded to this call by offering free consultations or allowing clients to hire the attorney for bits and pieces of the litigation when the assistance is strongly needed. Some firms are providing both, such as Long Okura, P.C. in Salt Lake City, Utah. Consider obtaining assistance before you walk into court without a lawyer.

Learn more about Utah divorce.