School
Divorce, explained.
Plain-English lessons on what to expect, what to do next, and what every word in your papers actually means. Each lesson takes about five minutes.
Where are you?
Pick the on-ramp that matches your situation.
Papers in hand. Now what?
I just got served
Someone handed you a stack of documents, or a sheriff knocked. You have a clock running and questions stacked sideways. Start here — these are the first five articles to read, in order.
5 articles
Not yet — but soon.
I’m thinking about filing
You haven't filed anything. You're weighing the decision and trying to understand what it looks like before you start. These articles map the terrain before you commit.
6 articles
Discovery, motions, mediation.
I’m in the middle of one
The petition is filed. You're in the messy middle — discovery, motions, maybe mediation looming. These articles help you navigate the procedural march without losing the plot.
7 articles
Parent, friend, sibling.
I’m helping someone else
You're not the one going through it — but someone you love is. Here's a short primer so you can be useful without flying blind on the legal vocabulary or the emotional arc.
5 articles
Personalized
See your divorce roadmap.
4 questions, then the whole process mapped to your case — with real timing for your state, your current position pre-marked, and the lessons most relevant at each stage.
Free. No email required.
Quiz
Should you file pro se? Take the 90-second quiz.
Honest answer in 8 questions. We’ll tell you whether self-representation fits your situation — or whether you’d be better off with an attorney.
Free. No email required.
Browse by topic
Or pick a corner of the divorce.
Foundations
The words, the framework, the lay of the land.
8 lessons
Getting started
Residency, filing, serving, the first ninety days.
18 lessons
Custody
Legal, physical, parenting time — and what to do about it.
15 lessons
Money
Property, debts, support, retirement, the house.
15 lessons
Kids
Telling them, helping them, parenting them through.
8 lessons
Self-care
Your emotional and financial recovery — yours.
7 lessons
Special situations
High-conflict, military, international, LGBTQ+, religious.
10 lessons
Post-divorce
Modifications, enforcement, the long aftermath.
9 lessons
State guides
Your state’s rules, in plain English.
50 lessons
Latest lessons
Just published.
Post-divorce
Appeals in family law: when the order itself is wrong
When the trial court got the law wrong, an appeal asks a higher court to fix it — narrow grounds, strict deadlines, not a modification.
7-minute read
Getting started
Exhibit books: the physical artifact of a hearing
Numbering, tabs, binders, how many copies, where to order supplies for less, and why your judge may have strong feelings about all of it.
5-minute read
Getting started
Serving documents after the petition: the deadline trap that catches pro se filers
Why email isn't enough, why physical mail is the default, and the mutual-agreement rule that decides whether you met your deadline.
5-minute read
Custody
‘Best interest of the child’: the standard every custody decision uses
The legal standard behind every custody decision — what factors courts actually weigh, what they emphasize, and where the discretion lives.
5-minute read