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From time to time, parties will ask whether or not they can use civil attorneys to assist them in the marriage nullity process. The answer is an emphatic no; but a person may employ a Catholic canon lawyer. This process is purely ecclesiastical in nature with no civil implications. Moreover, church law expressly states that all advocates must be approved and trained by the Tribunal on behalf of the bishop before they can assist someone at the Tribunal. Such approval is only given to those who meet canonical requirements for functioning in a Catholic Tribunal.