ABSTRACT
Historically, family lawyers have been comfortable being the gatekeepers of legal information and the main players in a system based on the adversarial system. Lawyers are seen as having access, control, and a virtual monopoly on the processing of divorces in this country. However, the reality is that 60% of family legal needs never touch either a lawyer’s office or the courts.1 A recent study in Arizona shows that, when family matters are actually brought to court, in more than 88% of the cases only one party is represented by a lawyer and in more than 62% of cases filed both sides are unrepresented.2
