Representing Yourself In Spousal Support Hearing | Santa Clarita

We help a lot of clients who are representing themselves in all aspects of divorce.  This includes helping them prepare motions for spousal support either during the divorce so they can get some temporary orders for spousal support or post judgment.

I client of ours just went to court and I  thought I would share her experiences so you can have an idea of what to expect if you have to go to court to represent yourself during a hearing for spousal support or any other type of hearing.

For this particular client, we had already filed the divorce papers and know she wanted to ask the court to order spousal support and child support because the husband refused to pay anything.

When she went to court, her husband did not show up.  The judge read the motion we had prepared and asked our client a few questions to make sure that she had properly notified and served her husband.  Many times when folks are representing themselves, the don’t follow proper procedure, such as failing to properly serve or file a proof of service.  When this happens the Judge may refuse to make orders and assume your spouse was not properly notified.

In this particular case, because we prepared, filed and served all the necessary documents to ensure compliance with the court rules, our client was all prepared.

As the Judge reviewed her declaration she asked her a few questions to clarify what she was asking for.  In the end, the Judge granted her exactly what she was asking for.

The hearing lasted all of 5 minutes.  When she was done, she asked the Judge, “now what do I do”?  All the Judge said was to go to the self help center if she needed further assistance.  Sadly, this is the problem with the Court system.  Fortunately though, she had us to assist her.

You see, getting the Judge to rule in your favor is just the first step.  The next step is to prepare an Order After Hearing and follow all the guidelines associated with that.

Related: Read How To File An Order After Hearing

Unfortunately, it is still going to take some time before she receives the support ordered by the Judge.

We specialize in divorce and can help you file a motion requesting orders for a variety of issues.  Give us a call so we can discuss your situation.

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How To Change Title To Home During Divorce | Santa Clarita

If you are getting divorced and own a home, there is a good chance you will have to change title by quit-claiming your property to your spouse.

The best way to remove your spouse from title is to refinance the property into your name alone.  Sure, that seems easy.  But what about when you can’t qualify on your own or the home is worth less than you owe?  This latter predicament is where most of my clients find themselves.

So in the interest of helping my clients with this issue after (or during) their divorce, I set out to learn how to quit-claim a property.  I did all the research on the forms, the process, what has to be notarized, filing fee’s and county recorder fees, etc.  When I realized how much work was involved, I set out to find a company who specialized in title transfers.

I figured that I specialized in divorce, there has to be someone that specializes in title changes.

I will be honest.  It took a couple of days to locate a company that does this.  I asked several title agents, posed the question on LinkedIn and did hundreds of Google searches trying to locate a company that could help my clients change title to their home who are going through a divorce.

Finally, I was referred to The Document Center.  The Document Center specializes with all types of real estate related materials, information and resources.  They will prepare, notarize and record real estate related documents.

What I liked about The Document Center after speaking with Dorene, is that they are  document preparation service.  This means that can assist you without the need for escrow, title or attorney fees.

The Document Center can help you with:

• Adding and removing people from title;
• Transferring into or out of a Trust;
• Adding someone on title after escrow has closed;
• Removing a deceased party from title;
• Handling Timeshare transfers

If you need help transferring title, give The Document Center a call.  You can ask for Dorene and make sure to let them know you found them on this site.

The Document Center is located at 3908 Foothill Blvd, Glendale, CA 91214 and can be reached at 818-541-0901 or http://www.thedoccenter.com

Learn more about the author, Tim Blankenship, in these links to our social networks:

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We Help You Understand The Divorce Process | Santa Clarita

Do you have questions about the process of getting divorced?  Many people do and despite asking friends and researching the information online, we find that a big part of what we do is educating our clients about the process of getting divorced.

On a phone call I had yesterday with a new client, I spent about 30 minutes just talking about the process of getting divorced.  I do this with all my clients whether over the phone or in person in our office.  I want to help my clients understand the divorce process, the forms and what it is going to take to get the divorce finished.

I find that the legal industry as a whole wants to keep people in the dark so you have to rely on their services.  At least that is my take on it.  Law is a confusing subject.  Add the fact that you are personally involved in a divorce and it makes the task that much more difficult to understand.

After I had finished discussing the nuances of the divorce process, she mentioned how much better she felt know having a good grasp of what lies ahead.  She had asked friends and done some research online, but the conversation we had brought everything together for her.

It is important that you understand what the process is and what is happening.  Why you are filing out the forms and what significance they have.  Remember, when you work with us, you are representing yourself in your divorce so you are going to have to play a larger part in the process.

We will help you understand the divorce process so you know what is happening every step of the way.  We will take care of moving your case forward.  We will prepare, file and serve every document and make it as painless as possible to get through your divorce in Santa Clarita.  Give us a call right now.

Deciding On Restoring Former Name During Divorce | Santa Clarita

When you are going through the divorce process, one of the the decisions you will have to make is whether you want to go back to your former (Maiden) name you had prior to the marriage.  This is both a procedural decision and personal one.

When you file for divorce and are the Petitioner the Petition FL-100 on page 2 at line 7 (i) asks “Petitioner’s former name to be restored to”.  It is here you would indicate whether or not you want to go back to your former name.

But what happens if you are not sure or forget to check this box when you file your petition?  According to Family Code §2080 if a party is requesting their former name be restored in the judgment but forgot or did not indicate that in the Petition, you can still request to have your former name restored and the Court will grant this.

The reasons this comes up is because technically, you cannot ask for something you did not request in your Petition.  This guideline indicates that even if you did not say so in your Petition and you later decide you want to go back to your former name, the Court will grant that.

I had this very thing come up from a client who had prepared their own Petition and did not indicate that they wanted their former name back.  When it came time to the judgment I asked her if she wanted to do so.  She thought that because she had not indicated that she wanted to restore her former name in the Petition that she could not request it in the judgment.

Family Code Section 2080 says that you can still ask for your former name to be restored in the judgment despite not requesting it on the Petition.  This would also hold true if you were the Respondent and did not indicate that on your Response.

We specialize in providing expert divorce document preparation in Santa Clarita.  Give us a call for more information about our divorce services.

One Spouse Wants Divorce And Other Doesn’t | Santa Clarita Divorce

The question comes up a bit of what happens when one spouse wants a divorce and the other does not.  Another way I have heard this questions is can my spouse stop me from getting a divorce.

The answer is no.  The process of getting divorced cannot be stopped by one of the spouses.  If you want to get divorced, there is nothing your spouse can do to stop you.  Of course, they can make it difficult by dragging it through the court system, but that is not the topic here.

So what is the process of getting divorced when only one spouse wants a divorce?  The process is essentially the same.  You will have the same requirements, same paperwork to fill out, etc.

Let’s say you file for divorce and serve the divorce documents on your spouse.  Once your spouse is served the divorce papers the 6 month waiting period begins.  Generally, your spouse will have 30 days to respond.  If your spouse does not respond, you can file what’s called a default. The default lets the court know that you wish to proceed despite the fact that your spouse did not respond.  The default process is just a little bit different than if your spouse did respond.

Sometimes the default divorce is by choice.  In most cases it is not necessary for your spouse to respond and you can still have an agreement on the terms of your divorce.  This is still considered an uncontested divorce and would proceed by way of default but with an agreement.

When you work with our company we attempt to help both spouses come to an agreement.  The divorce process is always easier if you are attempting to work out an amicable agreement.  Where differences come up, we can help you obtain free mediation services through the courts.

Give us a call for more information about our divorce document preparation service in Santa Clarita.

Using Siri To Find Our Santa Clarita Divorce Service

There a millions of Iphone and Ipad users, many of  which are turning to Siri to conduct their local search.  I wanted to make sure that we showed up on Siri if someone were to search for our divorce paralegal service in Santa Clarita.

I tried several different searches using Siri and interestingly enough, we generally ended up on the search.  When I searched for “Divorce Services in Santa Clarita”, Siri searched for divorce lawyers.  We came up number 2 on that search under our main company name of SCV Legal Doc Assist.

When we searched for “Divorce Paralegal Services in Santa Clarita, we did not show up at all.  When I researched on why, it turns out that Siri mostly uses YELP to find matches to the search.  Because there is only a “lawyer” category and no “paralegal” category, it makes it difficult to show up for divorce paralegal services.

One tweak I did make was to add to the name of our business as Yelp appears to use the name of the business to also help identify what type of company it is.  So now the name of our company on Yelp shows as SCV Legal Doc Assist – Divorce Paralegal Services Santa Clarita.  Hopefully the addition of “Divorce Paralegal Services Santa Clarita” will help searchers using Siri to be able to find us easier.

We are a legal document preparation company in Santa Clarita that specialize in divorce.  We help people avoid using an attorney for their divorce, saving them lots of money in the process.

Attorneys are not a necessary part of the divorce process.  A large percentage of folks who hired a divorce attorney never actually needed them and could have used our affordable divorce services.

Please give us a call to learn more about our divorce services in Santa Clarita.  We would be happy to show you how we can save you money on your divorce.

Spotlight On Our Santa Clarita Divorce Service

Remember the old days when you would see these giant spotlights crisscrossing the sky to let you know there was an event, grand opening or a sale?  I do.  I never actually drove to the light to see what was going on, but obviously something was.

These days the spotlight is most likely the internet.  Here, online, you can put you name in lights like we have to get the attention of the public that your service exists.

When we first opened up for business, word quickly spread that there was now an affordable place to get your divorce done in Santa Clarita without having to hire and attorney.

I often wonder where clients used to go who needed to get divorced before we opened our divorce document preparation service.  There certainly was no business providing a divorce service as we are in Santa Clarita.  I have to search long and hard to find another company doing what we are doing and even then, they do not specialize in divorce like we do.

I have lived in Santa Clarita for a long time and it feels good to provide a service that people actually need.  Were not selling widgets or some latest gadget. Rather, we are providing a service which, if we didn’t, folks would have nowhere to turn and would have to face the divorce process on their own.

The reason we have been so successful is because of our knowledge about divorce.  We just did not open shop without any training or experience.  We spend several years with the divorce courts, working for divorce attorney’s in Santa Clarita to hone our skills.  In fact, we still volunteer with the courts weekly to keep up to date with change laws, forms and procedures.

If you are looking for assistance with your divorce in Santa Clarita make sure to give us a call.  We would be happy to give you all the details about how to complete the divorce process in Santa Clarita.

How To Divorce When Money Is Tight | Santa Clarita Divorce

Is money tight, but you still need to get divorced?  I have lots of people tell me that money is an issue and they can’t afford to get divorced.  That is why they are calling me to begin with.

I just got off the phone with a lady who said she is not sure if she should hire and attorney for her divorce.  I asked her one question to help her decide.  I asked, “Do you have $10,000 to $15,000 laying around to spend on an attorney”?  Of course she said no, and I believe that most people would say no.  Even if you did, is this what you would want to spend it on?

Money is tight for a lot of people these days, and this is exactly why I started this business of providing affordable divorce services in Santa Clarita.

Look, I worked for a divorce law firm in Santa Clarita.  I can tell you that 90% of the folks that hired a law firm, did so by paying for it with a credit card.  This means that they could not afford it.  If you have to go into debt to get divorced, you are cannot afford it.  All you will be left with is more debt to pay off.

The (not so funny thing) about the cost of hiring an attorney is when people would receive their bills from the attorney office.  The phones would ring off the hook when people found out how much the previous month of attorneys fees cost them.

We would routinely have people call the law firm and say how they can no longer afford to be represented.  The fact is, they never could afford to hire a law firm.  They were just blinded by anger and emotion which drove them to hire an attorney for their divorce.  The bill is what snapped them out of it.

If money is tight and you need to get divorced, give us a call.  We have been providing affordable divorce services in Santa Clarita and helped 1000’s of clients negotiate their divorce without the need of hiring a divorce attorney or going into debt.

Waiting Period For Divorce Now One Full Year? Santa Clarita Divorce

Don’t panic.  At least not yet.  The waiting period for getting divorced in California is still 6 months.  But states such as Washington are working on passing legislation that would increase their current 90 day waiting period, to a full year.

The legislation is known as Senate Bill 5614 and dubbed the “Family Second Chances Act”.

Senator Benton has sponsored the bill and cites several reasons for increasing the waiting period for divorce.  He says that “divorce causes poverty, juvenile delinquency and lower scholastic achievement among children of their state.”

I am all for families staying together, but how much government involvement should there be when it comes to families and divorce.  While I understand the reasoning, I personally don’t think that a State should be able to have this much control.

Perhaps they should take baby steps and move their current 90 day waiting period to 6 months as it is in California.  I have been helping people get divorced in California for quite a while and can tell you that the 6 month waiting period is just about right.

The reason I say this is because even if the time was shorter, it is doubtful that many divorce cases would finish in a shorter amount of time due the the backlog of cases at the courts.  As it stands now, it is taking 3 months just to have your final judgment approved.  This is after you have completed all the other paperwork.

What is your take on how much involvement the Government should have over your decision to get divorced?  Do you think there should be a waiting period at all?

While we are on the topic of the waiting period, I want to clear up a frequently asked question.  Some folks have asked me if they have to wait 6 months before starting their divorce or if they have to file and then wait.  You can start your divorce and even complete all the paperwork and submit it to the court.  The effective date of the divorce will be 6 months after the time you or your spouse was served the initial divorce papers.

Divorce Season Begins After Valentines Day | Santa Clarita Divorce

I was recently meeting with a local divorce mediation company in Santa Clarita and we got to talking about the ebb and flows of the business.  Specifically about when our business may busier and when it may be slower in terms of people filing for divorce.

One thing that was mentioned is that she noticed that it always got busier after Valentines Day.  I thought it was a pretty interesting observation and decided to look into it.

Apparently she was right.  There has been all kinds of discussions about how the divorce rate increases right after Valentines Day.  In fact, some folks referred to Valentines Day as the beginning of “Divorce Season”

There has been all types of reasons given for this so called divorce season being tied to Valentines Day, so I thought I would share them with you.

Folks that have wrote on this topic mostly agree that Valentines Day comes as the holiday seasons have worn off and reality of pushing through another year is underway.  For some it marks the day to follow through with their new years resolution to become single, and for others are just the result of having one more lackluster Valentines Day.

It is almost like Valentines Day is a wake up call to snap people back into reality about the status of their relationship and life in general.

It is reported that there is as much as a 40% spike in divorce filings around Valentines Day.  It makes me wonder how many of these divorce filings really end in the couples finalizing their divorce.  I would tend to think that many of these people that filed may come to their senses later.  But maybe not.

To be honest with you, doing this research about divorce and Valentines Day really got me thinking.  I, for one, am guilty of not being the best at remembering holidays or giving flowers.  Maybe this year I will give flowers and Chocolate.

Regardless of your reasons for deciding to get divorced after Valentines Day, we are here to help you get through your divorce.

We are a full service divorce document preparation service in Santa Clarita and provide an affordable way to complete your divorce.  Please give us a call for more information about our services.