My spouse and I have no kids, no property and very few assets. We agree on the divorce but just need some guidance in filling out the paperwork, and don’t want to spend a lot of money. Do we really need an attorney?

In your situation, you certainly can do a “do it yourself” divorce. There are many inexpensive forms available over the internet, and Jackson County Circuit offers some limited guidance on its website, along with packets of forms you can fill out for free. It is definitely possible to get divorced without a lawyer, especially where you have no kids or property and little money to divide, and both of you agree that you should get divorced and on how to divide everything. However, filling out the forms is time-consuming, can be confusing and complicated, as they are filled with legal jargon and references to laws and rules that you may not be able to easily access. You do not need an attorney in this case, but even in what seems like the simplest of divorces, hiring an attorney to file the paperwork for you and to answer the questions that always seem to inevitably arise can be a great investment for a lot of people in similar situations.  Even the simplest divorce can have long lasting consequences for the naive, so investing a little bit in the near term can benefit you greatly over time.