Do I need to have an attorney to represent me in court for a divorce or can I get a legal aid? I cannot afford an attorney,

You may have some resources in your area such as legal aid that can help you.

If legal aid fails, you can represent yourself in court. This is called "in pro per" (latin, and short for in propria persona), or "pro se". To get up to speed with your legal issues your a facing, go to your local library and check out some of the Nolo books on divorce / family law.

Legal Aid in New Hanover County will not help with family law issues (they do help with domestic violence I think). Be CAREFUL! If you go ahead and get a divorce before you solve the issues of equitable distribution, alimony, post separation support, you could be cutting your own throat. So make sure you check with an attorney. The NC Bar Association will refer you to a family law attorney in New Hanover County and you pay only $30 for 30 minutes. If you do decide to do the divorce yourself, you will need to know how to prepare your own Summons, Complaint, Civil Action Coversheet, properly calendar the case for hearing, properly serve the defendant by Sheriff, private process server or publication (as applicable) and you will need to prepare your own divorce judgment. I have seen pro se litigants (people who represent themself) do a great job and others do a horrible job. I represented one nice man against his wife in a divorce and caused the wife to lose any rights she had in his pension (over $500k) because she represented herself and failed to properly file a counterclaim for equitable distribution before the divorce was finalized....... If funds are tight and you can't afford full representation by an attorney (always the best option in my opinion), consider using a Virtual Law Office (we have the only family law firm VLO in Wilmington) to have all the documents you need prepared and you can file them yourself. A link to our VLO is posted below. Good luck!