Protective Orders in Utah are governed by the Cohabitant Abuse Act which begins with section 78B-7-101 of  Utah Code Annotated.

Any victim of past or potential future violence or abuse by a current or past “co-habitant” may request a protective order from a Utah district court. “Co-habitant” really means that you have either lived with that person or that you are related by blood, marriage, or through a child out of wedlock.  The court does not charge for the filing of a protective order and most district courts have an office that will assist you in the preparation of documents, to file the documents, or serve the documents- all for no charge.  If you use a lawyer to argue or defend a protective order filing, that lawyer will probably charge attorneys fees.

A protective order is only appropriate when there is fear of physical harm to a person.  While verbal abuse and harassment can be very traumatizing, it is not appropriate to address those issues using a protective order; rather, you may wish to get a civil injunction (a restraining order).

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Long Okura P.C. can help you represent yourself in court.  

At recent Utah legal education seminars, Judges and Commissioners were discussing a newly discovered statistic:  85% of divorce cases in Utah have at least one party representing himself/herself.

There are many reasons that people decide to represent themselves in their family law cases, but often some basic legal advice could really make a difference and save time, money, and heartache.

You can represent yourself AND get legal advice every step of the way –  or only when you feel like you need it.   If you want to represent yourself in your family law case, you should consider our “Self-Representation Assistance” services.

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To Divorce or not to Divorce, that is the question.

Financial strain is often the catalyst to a final decision that a marriage cannot continue on, yet divorce puts the parties through even greater financial strain. How can anyone resolve this riddle? (more…)