By Dorian Block and Jose Martinez
New York Daily News
Sunday, June 4th, 2006

Soon-to-be single New Yorkers are discovering a quicker, cheaper route to divorce.

After the state last week introduced a new do-it-yourself guide on how to pursue an uncontested divorce, couples on the brink of breaking up could start weeding out pricey lawyers and paralegals.

The booklet put out by the New York State Unified Court System is no lightweight - it has 77 pages of instructions and 10 forms.

But the prospect of saving big bucks made it a must-read for couples bailing out on a bad marriage.

"I need to wrap this up," said Lisa Garcia-Lawson, 33, who was in Queens Supreme Court checking out the guide. "We both need to wrap this up."

At courthouses throughout the city, men and women lined up last week to learn about do-it-yourself divorces, which carry at least $400 in court costs, but no added fees from lawyers or paralegals.

"I've already paid $750 and got nothing done through some big lawyers in Manhattan," said Mary Ann Hassett, 45, of Brooklyn. "So I'm not doing that again."

Separated since 2002, Hassett opted for the do-it-yourself route after deciding that going through a lawyer would be too expensive.

But it's a method that is recommended only for those going through an uncontested divorce, in which child custody or money are not at stake.

"We have no kids, no assets, no nothing together," Hassett said. "So it should be easy, we hope."

Garcia-Lawson, who has been married for eight years, previously tried to secure a divorce through a paralegal.

For $800, she said she ended up with documents that failed to pass legal muster.

Filling out all the complaints and affidavits is a daunting task, she said, but one that could finally free her from her marriage.

"I am treating it like a term paper," Garcia-Lawson said. "It's lengthy, but I have the feeling it's straightforward."

The packet is tailored to the more than 50,000 New Yorkers who seek uncontested divorces every year, court officials said.

The booklets can be downloaded on the Unified Court System Web site, or picked up at state Supreme Court in all five boroughs.

Marjery Sosa, 27, went shopping for a divorce lawyer in the phone book and got a price quote of $3,500. The price led her to warily take a shot at filing for a much cheaper divorce by herself.

"If I need help, I'll just find a way to consult a lawyer," she said, studying the stack of forms. "I'm not sure yet if I can do this."

Evidently, she decided she wouldn't go through with it alone.

On her way out of the courthouse, she stopped to ask a court officer for directions to Queens Legal Services.