Servicemember wants to start divorce

Question:

Hey Jim. My wife and I have not lived together since I joined the military in 2013. She lives in NY and I was stationed in VA. No children together. I was medically discharged last year and have chosen to stay in VA. I do have her cell number to reach out if I need to but we do not keep in contact with each other. How would I go about starting the divorce process?

Jim's Reply:

It depends a lot on where you live today. I'd offer 2 options...first up, Google search in your area for a divorce lawyer and find someone who offers el-cheapo undisputed divorces. Those are usually a flat fee sort of thing where you give the office the info they need and they process the papers for you. That she lives elsewhere doesn't matter...there are ways to deal with that. The second way to approach it is to do it yourself. Often enough you can talk with a clerk of court at your local courthouse nd they can give you papers to start the process yourself. You're a little better protected having a lawyer do it for you but if dollars count, DIY.