LOS ANGELES, California (AP) —
Less than a month after filing for divorce, the estranged wife of David Hasselhoff has filed for a court order on a claim of domestic violence by the former “Baywatch” star, according to court records.

– Now I’m not saying this particular case is fraudulent but false claims of domestic violence are now quite common. Be aware for tell tale signs.

Secret Divorce discusses the tell-tale signs of false Domestic Violence charges

Just noticed this in the Chicago Sun-Times (www.suntimes.com), written by Madlen Read. I thought it was interesting to this group as it shows that more and more people are getting divorce advice and services on the internet:

Edited-
Nicole Christie’s divorce cost $450 and took about three months to complete — that’s about 3 percent of what she spent on her wedding and a third the time it took to plan it.

Instead of hiring lawyers, she and her husband agreed simply to split their assets down the middle and fill out the divorce papers on a Web site.

To save money, time and energy, more couples have been turning to do-it-yourself divorces — filing to split without lawyers. It has been an option for years, but it has gotten easier and more widespread as more online resources have become available.

”There’s no question that there’s been a trend toward do-it-yourself divorces, and do-it-yourself law in general, in the past decade,” said attorney Alan Kopit, chairman of the American Bar Association’s division for public education and partner at Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP in Cleveland. ”More people are turning to the Internet”

Divorce filing costs, rules and practices vary greatly by state. (In Illinois, the cost can vary by county, but is usually at least $90 to file and extra if you need the county to serve notice to your spouse, according to www.illinoislegalaid.org.)

Divorce attorney Sharyn Sooho said in Middlesex County, Mass., where she practices, about a third of all divorcing couples are now doing so without lawyers.

When you cut out legal expenses, most do-it-yourself divorces cost just a few hundred dollars.

”In a more typical case … you’ll save $3,000 to $4,000 per spouse,” said Sooho, who runs the Internet site divorcenet.com.

Today, attorney fees range from about $1,500 for simple divorces to tens of thousands of dollars — sometimes exceeding $100,000 — for more complex divorces.

Saving money was a big benefit for Keith Bowermaster and his high school sweetheart when they filed for divorce on their own to end their 11-year marriage. Instead of turning to lawyers, they picked up forms from the Dade County, Fla., courthouse and filed them themselves.

”Two hundred and seventy dollars was the total cost. Most lawyers charge that for an hour,” said Bowermaster. ”At the time, we just wanted to get this over with, move on with our lives, and not get everything dragged out with lawyers.”

Of course, some divorces can be messy, and even the most amicable splits are rarely cut-and-dried. So how should a divorcing couple decide whether to hire attorneys?

*First, if there’s any disagreement over assets or doubt that a spouse is being forthcoming, a lawyer will likely be necessary.

*Even a couple that’s splitting amicably should take a look at their shared property, experts say. If a couple owns a home, a family business, or any other big or hard-to-value asset, an attorney may need to intervene to help decide how to allocate it, Kopit said.

*If a couple has a child, a do-it-yourself divorce is only feasible if you agree with your spouse on custody, visitation and guardianship issues. Even so, it’s helpful to at least seek the advice of a lawyer.

Online divorces are a great way of saving cash if both parties are open to discussion. SecretDivorce will save you money no matter how you do your divorce.

Men often ask if they should prepare for divorce. Without a doubt, the answer is yes. Secret Divorce teaches men how to prepare for divorce. In a divorce, timing is everything. It is imperative that men prepare early for best results in a divorce. Divorce preparation can save you tens of thousands of dollars and allow you to settle your case without the need for an expensive court trial. Even if you believe that divorce is merely a possibility, consider early divorce preparation as an insurance policy in the event of divorce.

After deciding to divorce, many men are asked by their wives to attend marriage counseling. We are often asked if we believe they should attend. And generally the answer is yes.

First and foremost, men need time to prepare for divorce. If you have not executed all of your plans before your wife requests your attendance at divorce counseling, you will be required to go to these counseling sessions until you have completed your divorce planning. Why not just say no? When a wife recognizes that a marriage is over, she will seek to protect herself and secure her future. Basically this means that she will do everything in her power to see that she obtains high child support and alimony awards, protects her custodial rights to her children, and retain as much of the marital assets as possible.

Once you have executed all of your divorce plans, you will wish to remain as civil and amicable with your wife as possible. There is nothing worse that a bitter wife! Once you are ready to divorce, use the marriage counseling as a polite method of explaining that your relationship cannot continue. This counseling should also strive to discuss the possibility to moving forward to co-parent children and maintain a good relationship for the kids. Civility is free and often significantly reduces attorney’s fees and costs in a divorce. A bitter wife will fight over each and every issue in the divorce court.

Finally, marriage counseling will allow you to know in your heart that you have given your marriage that final shot. You will not have to second guess yourself in the middle of the night after you have tried everything.

Secret Divorce teaches you how to plan for your divorce successfully, execute your plans while still married, and obtain a quick settlement of your case.

The simple answer is no. Hiding money is usually detectable with a decent forensic accountant. Therefore, if you hide money you run the risk of getting caught and making the court question of your integrity and veracity.

To many men this advice does not concern them. But it should concern you. In all states, the court has significant discretion to determine support issues, division of assets, and attorneys fees. Rest assured that if the court learns that you have hidden assets that you will end up with the short end of the stick on each and every issue before the court.

Secret Divorce teaches you how men get caught hiding assets in a divorce. Review this trick and the hundreds of others while you plan for your divorce.

The name Secret Divorce derives from our advice to secretly plan for your divorce while still married. When still married, we advise you to learn about the law and how it will affect your case. We suggest that you establish a status quo which allows you to pay a reduced amount of child support and alimony and get the child custody orders that you want. Finally, Secret Divorce allows you to protect your assets.

Why Plan for Divorce Secretly?
If your wife learns of your intent to divorce, she will most likely run to the closest attorney and immediately file for divorce. It is also possible that your wife may attempt to obtain domestic violence restraining orders against you to evict you from your home and keep you away from your children. You need to keep your divorce plans secret until you have executed the tricks and techniques that you learn from Secret Divorce. Don’t get caught in the divorce process unprepared.

Women all over the country are obtaining domestic violence restraining orders at record numbers. Why? Domestic violence restraining orders are no longer only for men that actually beat their wives. Domestic violence laws continue to become more and more liberal. In California, destroying property is now considered domestic violence. For instance, if a husband gets angry and rips up a photo- domestic violence!

Why do women want domestic violence restraining orders? Simple: a quick and easy way to get their husband out of the house, gain full custody of the kids without Dad even getting visitation, and huge support payments from a sympathetic judge.

When a wife asks an attorney how she can get her husband out of the house, the attorney’s next question is about domestic violence. Do you get the picture? Do not become another statistic. Secret Divorce teaches men how to protect themselves from false domestic violence allegations while planning a successful divorce.

Many men ask, what, if anything they should tell their children about their pending divorce. Children should not be burdened by the issues in your divorce. Speaking to your children about your divorce or your wife in a negative light usually backfires.

Courts do not appreciate involving the children in these adult issues. Children should be informed that both Mom and Dad love them and will always be there for them. They should also be informed about a pending divorce with Mom and Dad both present. Often books are helpful for children to understand that divorce will not affect their relationship with each parent. Dinosaur’s Divorce is one such book.

Calendars specifically marking days that the children will see both parents is also helpful for children facing a changing schedule. Children need to be reassured that they will be able to maintain their relationship with both parents.