Tennessee Embraces Self-Service Divorce Forms

Tennessee State Flag

Recently we are seeing states moving in different directions regarding self-service legal forms. LegalZoom is facing widely reported litigation in Missouri and Alabama.

Meanwhile, alimony in Tennessee just got simpler, as Tennessee is modernizing by allowing married couples who want to divorce amicably to use self-service legal forms to accomplish a low priced divorce. Tennessee refers to this as an “agreed divorce” – and I think this kind of matter is well suited to self-service at a lower cost than hiring an attorney, mainly for people who can’t afford an attorney in the first place.

It is possible, though, to reconcile these different reactions to self-service. LegalZoom would have a powerful constitutional defense focused on free speech if they limited their self-service forms to examples under which the user chooses the ultimate final draft. However, LegalZoom’s core marketing message assures customers that their legal documents will be prepared by legal professionals (referring to their paralegals), and that the documents will meet their legal needs. These two assurances probably rankle practicing attorneys the most.

You can read more here (http://bit.ly/mXX3Do) and see the forms themselves here (http://bit.ly/pfLJLk). Hopefully this brings better access to high quality legal documents for couples dealing with divorce and alimony in Tennessee.

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