Divorce

[ADD THIS IF SHE MENTIONS SOMETHING ABOUT THE LENGTH OF TIME OF THE MARRIAGE TO GET AN ANNULMENT: Although many people believe that an annulment is based on the length of the marriage, in most states, how long the couple has been married is not the determining factor about whether or not a spouse can get an annulment.]

To get an annulment, the person generally has to show that the marriage was never legal in the first place or is “voidable.” An annulment means that the marriage is voided, or in other words, it is as if the marriage never existed.

Although we do not have information about this on the WomensLaw.org website, I did a bit of research on the topic and found information on the grounds for an annulment below. Here is the actual law: PLEASE GOOGLE GROUNDS FOR ANNULMENT IN HER STATE AND SEE IF YOU FIND THE ACTUAL STATUTE THAT LISTS THE GROUNDS - THEN, LOOK ON THE STATE LEGISLATURE’S WEBSITE AND SEE IF YOU FIND THE ACTUAL LAW. And here is an explanation from a [FILL IN THE TYPE OF WEBSITE] website that explains annulment in STATE in more “plain language”: PLEASE ONLY INCLUDE THIS IF YOU FIND IT ON A .GOV OR .ORG OR .EDU WEBSITE - DON’T USE “FINDLAW.COM” OR SOMETHING SIMILAR - IF YOU CAN’T FIND IT, JUST DELETE THIS SENTENCE AND LINK

If someone does not qualify for an annulment, s/he may still be able to obtain a divorce. Generally, a person can file for divorce in a state where s/he meets that state’s residency requirements for divorce. [LINK TO DIV PAGE AND RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS QU]

The difference, in a nutshell, between an annulment and a divorce is that a divorce terminates a legally-entered into marriage whereby an annulment is a court declaration that the marriage never legally existed (or should never have existed).

Oftentimes, in divorce cases, getting a lawyer can really help. If you can afford a lawyer, a lawyer referral service in your area can help you find a lawyer in your area who has experience in this area of law. If you can’t afford one, you may be able to get help from a legal aid organization, who provides free or low-cost legal help in some cases. If they can’t help you, they might be able to refer you to someone who can take your case on a sliding scale fee or for free - be sure to specifically ask for a referral if you need one. Also, if there’s domestic violence involved, your local domestic violence program may be able to help you out here. You may also want to try any law schools in your area because sometimes they have legal clinics and can take cases for free. . You can find lawyers for your state here [INSERT FIND A LAWYER TAB FOR HER STATE].