You do not have to have a lawyer to get a dissolution. Though it is usually best to hire a lawyer if you can afford to do so, you should at least have a lawyer review your dissolution papers after you fill them out. It would probably be worth paying for an hour or two of a lawyer's time to protect yourself, and some lawyers have reduced rates for consultation sessions. There are several packets available with the forms and instructions needed to get your own dissolution, separation, or declaration of invalidity. Northwest Justice Project and Columbia Legal Services have forms and instruction packets for starting and for responding to a dissolution action on the internet. The Northwest Women's Law Center in Seattle also has many packets on specific dissolution issues, such as how to respond to a motion for temporary orders. Check with your court clerk or court facilitator for other packets. If you and your spouse have children, cannot afford a lawyer and you plan to file on your own even though you and your spouse don't agree, you can ask the court to appoint a guardian ad litem (GAL) to investigate the situation and make a report to the court regarding the children's best interests. Some counties have family court investigators, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), or GALs available free of charge. In other counties, the parents must pay for the services.