How Long Does Divorce Take In California

How Long Does Divorce Take In California

As a licensed and bonded legal document preparation firm located in Santa Clarita, California, we are asked often how long the divorce process takes in California.

Most are not pleased to learn that the divorce process takes at a minimum of 6 months plus 1 day.  But when does the clock start ticking on this six month process and why does it take 6 months.

To answer the first question, the clock does not start ticking when you file the divorce papers as most people think.  The 6 month clock starts from the time you serve your spouse with the divorce papers.  Keep this in mind when you are planning to get divorced.  There may be reasons why you would want to file and get your spouse served for the sole purpose of starting the clock on the 6 months waiting period.

Now for the second question on why there is a six month waiting period. California calls it a cooling off period.  I think that speaks for itself.  The California divorce courts want there to be a period of time where they allow the married couples to reconcile their marriage.

But don’t think that the 6 months cooling off period will be what holds up your divorce.  In fact, it will probably take longer in many cases.  As of know the courts are so backlogged with divorce cases and reviewing judgments that is it taking them 2 months just to review your judgment paperwork.  And if your judgment is rejected, you just added on another 2 months, at least, before your divorce can be finalized.

There is a way around this, however.  There is nothing that says you cannot get all your divorce paperwork done in the first few months of the divorce process and submit your divorce paperwork early, prior to the 6 month cooling off period ending.

What we do when possible is get all the divorce paperwork done within the first 3 to 4 months and submit it to the court for review.  Knowing that it takes about 2 months before they will actually get to the judgment to review, we find that the courts will still sign off on the judgment, but will post date the effective date of the divorce to a date that is 6 months and one day after the original divorce petition was filed.

We are a divorce service that is headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA and serve all the courts in Los Angeles County.  We provide a 100% online divorce process

No Assets – No Debt Divorce In Santa Clarita

No Assets – No Debt Divorce In Santa Clarita

Going through the divorce process is a lot of paperwork.  If you take emotion out of the picture, the divorce process comes down to simply dividing up your assets and debts.

Yes, there are other issues when you have children, etc., but the a huge chunk of the divorce process deals with financial issues.

To file for divorce, you complete a Summons and Petition.  That notifies the court and the other party that you intend to divorce.  After that, all the paperwork deals with assets and debts.

The next step after filing for divorce is to prepare your Declaration of Disclosure.  This is where you will list all your assets and debts on the Schedule of Assets and Debts and you will list your income and expenses on the Income and Expense Declaration.  This process is called disclosure and represents the bulk of the divorce forms you will fill out when going through divorce.

So in essence, divorce is about money.  It’s about who is getting what and who is going to pay for what.  Does it take a divorce lawyer to complete this paperwork?  We think not.

Even if you have no assest and no debts, you still have to complete the financial disclosures during the divorce.

But what if you have been separated for a long period of time?  Do you still have to disclose all your financial information?  In short, Yes! I have had clients who have been separated for as long as 10 years and are just getting around to filing for divorce.  For all intesive purposes, they have been living separate lives.  Now, they are being asked to disclose all their assets and debts and income information to someone they have not communicated with for over 10 years.  Odd as it may be that you have to show all your finaces at this point, the fact of the matter is you still have to.

We specialize in providing an affordable divorce service in Los Angeles County.

 

Why You Should Not Buy Divorce Forms In California

Why You Should Not Buy Divorce Forms In California

If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times, don’t buy your divorce forms.  It is completely unnecessary.

Why?  Because the California divorce forms are all available for free from the various County websites. I have even gone as far as to prepare a video on how to find the free fillable California divorce forms.

It frustrates me a little when I receive a call from a new client who says they purchased their divorce paperwork from some online company and now have a stack of divorce paperwork with absolutely no idea how to complete it.

Most of these online forms selling companies are hoping for exactly that.  That you will receive your divorce paperwork in the mail and have no clue how to fill it out.  They want you to call them back up and ask for them to prepare your divorce forms for you.  In fact, if you don’t call them, they will call you to ask if you need assistance filling out your divorce forms.

It should be a crime to sell divorce forms you can get for free to people for several hundred dollars.

I have seen these divorce forms they mail to people.  A box full of divorce forms.  In fact, they mail you every divorce form there is.  Most of which you will never need.

There is a better solution to buying your California divorce forms and attempting to do the paperwork yourself.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in the divorce process.  We don’t just sell you forms.  We will prepare each of the divorce documents and get you entirely through the divorce process.  This includes filing and serving all your documents and keeping your apprised of the next steps and court procedure.

For more information about our specialized divorce service, please give us a call.  We are headquartered in Santa Clarita and serve all the courts in Los Angeles.

Do I Need Therapy During Divorce | Santa Clarita

Do I Need Therapy During Divorce | Santa Clarita

I’m not an advocate for therapy, in fact I don’t understand it.  Maybe it’s because I am a guy and guy’s don’t like to share.  I really don’t know.  But if you feel you might need a little therapy during your divorce you might want to check out what the folks over at Divorce Detox are doing.

I am not making any recommendations, I just happened across their blog and found it interesting and thought I would share a few of their links.

According to their website they have a Divorce Detox workshop that includes a workkbook, group texting, access to consults in between session and the Divorce Detox Survivial Kit.

I was interested in the divorce detox survival kit.  It says it is a must for anyone going through the divorce process who wants valuable, expert advice and tangible support to survive and thrive from divorce.

You get daily support, expert advice, resources, inspiration, as well as access to a nurturing community plus monthly group coaching calls.

It may be worth your time to peruse their site if you are considering getting some therapy during your divorce.

The majority of my clients most likely are not in need of therapy during their divorce as they are mostly amicable, uncontested divorces in Santa Clarita and Los Angeles area.  This does not mean that there is not some emotional grief, just that they are working towards getting through the divorce without involving attorneys.

Experts say that going through an uncontested divorce can have the least amount of emotional impact on divorcing spouses.  This makes sense as contested divorces means going through trials in court which only make things worse.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in the divorce process.  We are located in Santa Clarita, California and serve all the courts in Los Angeles County.

Please give us a call to discuss your particular circumstances and learn

 

Why Khloe Kardashian Filed For Divorce

Why Khloe Kardashian Filed For Divorce

While Khloe Kardashian has not yet filed for divorce, it is rumored that the divorce between Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom is coming to an end.

There have been tons of tabloid talk about the possibilities of them getting divorced.   Some are saying that the reasons they are possibly getting divorced is because Khloe cannot conceive children.  Beleive what you want, I don’t invest much time in the tabloids, but found this article posted by The Hollywood Gossip Blog something worth commenting on.

High profile divorce cases are all over.  I don’t understand the facination with following the gossip, but am interested in how the divorce cases progresses.

These types of divorce cases are one’s where a divorce attorney is necessary.  You won’t find me saying that much, because I am such an advocate for uncontested, amicable divorces.  But where there are significant assets involved, you certainly need an attorney involved.   And yes, it is going to be expensive any way you cut it.  But these folks have the money to burn, so they might as well hire the best in the business.

Usually, I write about why you should not hire a divorce attorney and instead just consult with attorneys.  This is because I don’t work with celebrities getting divorced.  My clients are intead looking for a way to keep the costs down.

Many have called divorce lawyers and found out how expensive it is just to complete an uncontested divorce.  They are relieved to have found a flat fee divorce service that is able to help them complete all the divorce paperwork for a fraction of the cost of using a divorce lawyer.

When considering a divorce in Los Angeles, make sure you use a reputable licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in the divorce process.

Licensed And Bonded Divorce Legal Service | Santa Clarita

Licensed And Bonded Divorce Legal Service | Santa Clarita

I know I have commented on it before, but it is worth mentioning again.  When looking for an affordable divorce legal service to prepare your divorce paperwork, make sure that you are using a licensed and bonded legal document assistant firm.

Many times, when people call me, they indicate that they have spoke to a “paralegal” who says they can help them at a lower cost.

The first thing I make sure to advise them is that it is against the law for a “Paralegal” to perform any legal services directly to consumers.  The only work a Paralegal can do is work they do while employed by an attorney.  A Paralegal cannot legally have you as a client nor perform work outside of a law office.

There are many paralegals, referred to as “Rogue Paralegals” that operate illegally by doing side work.  They are operating outside the law by doing this.

There are many licensing requirements to become a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service.  First, you have to meet their educational requirements.  Second, you have to have meet their experience guidelines.  And finally, you have to be able to be bonded.

You can only assume that if a Paralegal is not licensed as a LDA then they must not meet one of the above requirements.  These requirements are there to ensure that you receive quality service from a reputable company.

The California Association of Legal Document Assistants (CALDA) reports that there are only 750 registered LDA’s in all of California.  The majority of which are in Los Angeles County, estimated at 600.

So when you are calling around, trying to find help to prepare your divorce paperwork, make sure you are using a licensed and bonded legal document assistant.

And remember.  You get what you pay for.  You certainly don’t want to cut corners when it comes to preparing your divorce paperwork.

For more information about our licensed and bonded divorce legal service, please give us a call.  We are located in Santa Clarita, CA and can help you all across Los Angeles County.

 

Going From Attorney Represented To Self Represented During Divorce

Going From Attorney Represented To Self Represented During Divorce

I have been getting a lot of calls lately from folks who are represented by an attorney and who have become frustrated with the lack of progress of their case and the amount of money they have spent to get nowhere.

It is true that attorney representation during your divorce is expensive.  What I preach over and over again is that only 20% of divorce cases ever need or use an attorney for their divorce.  80% of the divorces that are completed, neither side has used an attorney.  I did not make this up, this has been reported numerous times by attorneys and the courts own research.

But the question becomes, “How do you go from attorney represented to self represented during divorce?”

What I tell folks is that it is sort of a dangerous place to be where only one spouse is represented and the other is representing themselves.  What would be ideal is that both parties decide to represent themselves and go back to the kitchen table and attempt to work out their issues among themselves.

But where one spouse wants to frustrate the process or where one attorney appears to be pushing buttons to ensure that you never come to an agreement, it becomes a difficult process.

You are between a rock and a hard place.  Represent yourself to save money and risk being taken advantage of by your spouse’s attorney or keep your attorney and keep paying outrageous attorney fees.

When I worked at a law firm, I saw couples spend tens of thousands of dollars and accomplish nothing  more than further going down the rabbit hole and make no progress.  The only thing that knocked any sense into them is when they would get their bill from our law firm.

They would call to let us know they can no longer afford us and are going to try to work it out directly with their spouse.

Why didn’t they do this from the beginning?

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in the divorce process.  Please give us a call to learn more about our affordable divorce service.

We are located in Santa Clarita, California and serve all the Courts in Los Angeles County.

Santa Clarita Spousal Support Calculator

Santa Clarita Spousal Support Calculator

We try to make as much information available to our clients so they can make informed decisions during the divorce process.  Many times we are asked how spousal support works and how much they might have to pay or might receive.

Spousal support is generally determined by use of a Dissomaster report that attorneys and the courts use to determine this .  On a basic level, the amount of support you will have to pay or are going to receive is based on the income of the parties.

But how do you determined these amounts without going to court and without having to pay an attorney to prepare a Dissomaster?

I have located an attorney website that has done a good job of making it easy to estimate spousal support amounts.  The website says that the court uses a standard calculation to determine spousal support payments and that it should be used as an estimate only.  However, they do go on to say that they have tested it and it has produced results consistent with the calculators the court uses.

They have used the exact same mathematical formula so it appear that you will get a fairly accurate number.  Just don’t hold them to it.

What I liked about their spousal support calculator is that is was easy to use and you could get your spousal support figures in about 30 seconds simply by plugging in you and your spouses income and tax filing status.

The calculator is offered through Dishon & Block Divorce Attorneys.  You can access the calculator on the below link.  A new page will open up to the calculator.

Spousal Support Calculator

The title of this post says Santa Clarita Spousal Support Calculator and was mostly used for the purposes of the search engines.  This calculator is good for all of California as the family law courts in California all use the same Dissomaster system.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in the divorce process.  If you would like to learn more about our affordable divorce service, please give us a call.  We are located in Santa Clarita, CA and serve all the courts of Los Angeles with our 100% online divorce solution.

Divorce For Less In Santa Clarita

Divorce For Less In Santa Clarita

Did you know that if you walk into a divorce attorney’s office for a divorce that you will have to pay at least $5,000 just to get started?  This does not matter if your divorce will be contested or uncontested.

The reason behind this initial deposit amount, also known as a retainer, is just to give the law firm something to start with to get you going.  This is not the total amount of your divorce, this is just to get started!

There is really no reason to use a divorce attorney for your divorce unless you know you are going to trial.  The Courts and other attorneys have written articles that indicate that hiring an attorney will only complicate the divorce process resulting in an uncontested case turning into a contested one.

There is a better way to get through the divorce process.  It is by using our legal document preparation service.  We specialize in the divorce process and can complete your divorce for one affordable flat fee.

Our clients have been thrilled with our affordable divorce service.  Most have come to us after spending thousands of dollars on attorneys and becoming frustrated with the process where they feel the attorneys are acting on their own behalf rather than for them.

That does not happen with us, because we are a neutral third party whose only objective is to get the paperwork done.  It does us no good to “stir the pot” as it only makes our job more difficult.  We are not here to give you legal advice, thus can help both spouses complete the divorce paperwork.

If you are looking for a better option to get divorced than hiring an expensive law firm, give us a call.  We would be happy to discuss how our divorce service works and talk to you about your specific issues.

Santa Clarita Divorce Help Videos

Santa Clarita Divorce Help Videos

We have been on a major campaign to bring to market as many divorce self help videos we can.

We cover everything from how to complete the divorce forms, line by line, to answering some of the frequently asked questions about the divorce process.

We do this for 2 reasons.  First, there has been a complete lack of information giving from the legal industry.  There is this fear of giving out too much information.  That does not exist here.  We are the first Santa Clarita divorce service to offer a how to video on all aspects of the California divorce process.

That said, the second reason to share all this wonderful divorce information with you is because it is a good marketing strategy.  Actually give the people the information they are looking for.  What a concept!

In return, we will get additional exposure and good PR.  In the end everyone wins.  Those looking for the information get what they are looking for.  And we get the online exposure, video views, word of mouth and any business that comes are way by having helped with our divorce self help videos.

What we are truly trying to do is peel back the mask of the confusing legal system.  Nothing we are telling you is new.  All this information is out there, you just need to know where to look.  All we have done is produce a video on how to prepare your divorce yourself that is understandable.  And we have done so in a way that you are actually able to find it on the internet.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in the divorce process.  We have our offices in Santa Clarita, CA but serve all of Los Angeles County.

Additionally, our divorce service is 10o% virtual, which means you will never have to come to our office and we can help you regardless of your location or the court you filed in.

We hope you enjoy our Santa Clarita Divorce help videos.