By Kristin Holtz, Correspondent

A young couple couldn’t wait to get married, so at age 18, they exchanged vows at the county courthouse.

But like many teenagers in love, it didn’t take them long to realize it was mistake.

They moved home, started saving money for a divorce, but several years later they were still married.

Now, after attending a free, do-it-yourself divorce clinic in Shakopee, the couple has a joint dissolution and is ready to move on with their individual lives.

“It’s kind of a sad issue — divorce — but this clinic offers so much hope to people that we’re really glad to offer it,” said Scott County Law Librarian Mary Freyberg. “ … These are people that have just had things hanging over their heads for years (and they) just want to get on with their lives.”

Offered by Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) and the Scott County Law Library, pro se divorce clinics are helping local individuals and couples through the complicated divorce process.

At a clinic, a private attorney is available to explain the legal process and answer general questions. A representative of SMRLS assists in completing the divorce packet, serving a spouse, filing the papers with the court and obtaining a final hearing date. The volunteer attorney provides assistance only; individuals represent themselves, explained Mary Stoos, volunteer attorney program coordinator for SMRLS. Divorce clinics are available for individuals or couples who cannot afford to hire an attorney, are low income, have no assets of significant value, own no real estate other than a home and agree on child-custody issues, Stoos said. The divorce must be uncontested.

“For us, basically it’s filling the forms out with them and answering questions,” said Savage attorney Judith E. Payne, who volunteered her services at an April clinic in Shakopee.

SMRLS started the divorce clinics — offered throughout southern Minnesota — about five years ago as a way to help individuals through the legal hoops of filing for divorce.

Payne said many people are unfamiliar with the divorce process and not sure where to start when facing the impressive stack of divorce paperwork and legalese. Therefore, having a legal expert available to answer questions and walk them through the paperwork can be comforting.

“What most people want is to wrap it up and move on with their lives,” Payne said. “This gives them the gateway to start over.”

SMRLS and the Scott County Law Library hosted the first Shakopee clinic in January with three attendees. At the April clinic, nine people signed up from Le Sueur, McLeod, Ramsey and Scott counties.

Freyberg said most cases at the Shakopee clinics have involved a married person who has been separated from his or her spouse for years. She said one woman had been married for 18 years but hadn’t seen her husband in 17 years.

“Most of the time they’ve been separated for a long time and it’s just time to get it over,” Stoos said.

In addition to helping people get on with their lives, the clinics assist the courts, Payne said. Court systems are feeling the pinch of tights budgets, bigger caseloads and fewer staff. Having people arrive at court appointments with the appropriate paperwork helps speed the process along, she said.

The next divorce clinic in Shakopee will be in August. Screening is required, so people interested in the program should contact Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services at (651) 222-4731 or (888) 575-2954 for more information.  

Kristin Holtz can be reached at kholtz@swpub.com.