Do-it-yourself divorce doesn't always sever ties

With the rising of legal fees, a shortage of legal aid lawyers and a do-it-yourself philosophy, a lot of people who think they are divorced are not really.

In California, about 80% handle their own divorces only to find out that the paperwork was not finalized in alot of cases. Kathleen Dixon, Los Angeles County, who heads the Superior Court's programs for self-represented people, estimated that a third or more of all divorce petitions filed in the county in the last several years have not been finalized. Mark Juhas, a Superior Court judge, found that about a third of the roughly 3,600 divorce cases filed in 2001 and 2002 and assigned to his courtroom remain open. Some have remarried thinking it was ok because they were divorced only to find out that they were not. Juhas, began calling in about 100 people a month whose divorce cases have languished and asking them if they need help. He said "30% ignored his summons, 10% got back together, but that more than half want to be divorced and just need some help." Some people could get in alot of trouble legally if never divorced and remarried. What if someone died, which spouse would be entitled to the insurance? Could make for a messy law suit.