According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average woman's family income drops by 37% after divorce. Do you know what assets or how much alimony or child support you are entitled to receive? Has your spouse threatened to leave you penniless? Have you spoken to an attorney and gotten sticker-shock? Do you earn too much money to qualify for free legal aid? Are you unable to decipher the scary-looking legal forms your spouse keeps sending you in the mail? This book was written to help the low- and moderate-income women the legal system has abandoned by walking a hypothetical self-represented woman step-by-step through the divorce process. Including:

1. How to prepare financially to stand on your own two feet;

2. What the court can, and cannot do for you;

3. 'Legwork' that can save you money on legal fees and help you get a better outcome;

4. How much child support and alimony you might be entitled to receive;

5. How to show a judge that your spouse is lying about his assets and income;

6. What property you are entitled to receive ... and should ask for;

7. Ways vindictive ex-spouses can screw you over;

8. Real life dirty tricks, traps, and pitfalls highlighted so you can avoid them;

9. How to find a good attorney, save legal fees, or piece together legal services if you can't afford a full-service attorney;

10. Mediation ... benefits and pitfalls;

11. How to dig up information your spouse doesn't want you to know (discovery) like an attorney does;

12. Common court forms and how to fill them out;

13. Separation Agreements dissected and clarified (including a sample boilerplate);

14. Sample discovery requests and motions;

15. Sample hearing scripts for common court hearings (including Temporary Orders and Trial);

16. Restraining orders ... how to get one ... how to keep one;

17. Custody disputes ... 'fatal flaws' and how you can fix them.

Everything you NEVER wanted to know about divorce ... but need to come up to speed ... FAST!!! This is the only self-help legal book written by a woman who was once in your shoes who later went back to school to become an attorney!

Legal Disclaimer: This book is not meant to constitute legal advice. The author is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts. Links have been provided to direct women to their local court resources in all 50 states, but the court forms, case histories and property division examples used in this book are specific to Massachusetts. Laws can vary from state-to-state. This book is NOT a replacement for consultation with a licensed local attorney.

Kirkus: A solid, informative self-help divorce guide. This exhaustive 558-page guide covers a range of topics related to contested and uncontested divorces, including how to gather documentation of assets, estimate child support and alimony, and even, if necessary, obtain restraining orders. She discusses many topics related to asset division and child custody, including marital debt and visitation rights. The book is aimed at the broadest possible audience, but also discusses variations in state laws. Much of Merrill's advice revolves around how women can receive the best financial result. For example, she advises readers about cancelling joint credit cards and spotting instances of "asset hiding" by their soon-to-be-former spouse. She explains how to prepare for trial, the rules surrounding court appearances, common lines of questioning, and other circumstances women may encounter during the legal process. The author even describes her own negative experience with divorce, which happened before she went to law school. Throughout, Merrill mixes serious instructional information with humor and pop culture references, which often gives the book an informal, colloquial voice, as if the reader is attending a seminar. The author consistently provides sound and helpful advice to inform readers about the many possible pit