Do You Need A Spousal Support Order | Santa Clarita

Do You Need A Spousal Support Order | Santa Clarita

One of the services we provide is helping clients either file a motion for spousal support or respond to a request for order for spousal support.  We have been very successful in preparing motions for spousal support and helping our clients get to court quickly.

We have helped hundreds of clients file a motion (Request For Order) for spousal support.  We prepare the entire motion which includes the application, declaration and attaching exhibits.

Lets talk about these in more detail.

The request for order is also known as an application.  The motion can be used for requesting orders for just about anything.  Here, we are discussing how to complete the request for order for spousal support.

On the request for order itself, we will complete all the necessary check boxes and fill in the necessary information correctly to make sure your request for order is not rejected.

The next thing we will help you do it to prepare any additional documentation that is required.  For instance, many people do not know that whenever you make a request for order that has to do with money (spousal support) you also have to include an income and expense declaration.  We will also help you to correctly prepare the income and expense declaration that gets filed with the motion.

The next thing we will help you do is draft your declaration.  This is where you tell your side of the story to convince the judge to make an order that you are requesting.  We will have you tell us the facts and then we will personally draft your declaration on the proper pleading paperwork to make it very professional.

When you prepare a declaration it is a good idea to back up your facts by using exhibits.  Exhibits are simply copies of things you would like the court  to see.  For instance, if you say your spouse makes a certain amount of money and you have proof, you should attache that proof as an exhibit.  We will help you do this.

When we are done with your motion for spousal support, you will have a completed motion, declaration along with any necessary exhibits.  We will then personally file  your motion and get you a court date.  In circumstance that require mediation prior to the hearing, we will also set that up.

Please give us a call if you need assistance preparing a motion for spousal support.  We can help you prepare a motion for spousal support during the divorce proceeding or after you have been divorced (post judgment).

Filing a motion for spousal support can be confusing.  Let the experts help you.

Cheap Divorce In Santa Clarita

Cheap Divorce In Santa Clarita

No doubt, people do not want to spend a lot of money getting divorced in Santa Clarita. This is why we have our affordable divorce service.

We get lots of calls where someone has recently met with a divorce attorney in Santa Clarita and realized just how much it is going to take to get divorced in Santa Clarita by using a divorce attorney.  It is a real eye-opener to many folks.

Thankfully, we live in California where companies such as our are allowed to operate. There are only a handful of States that allow non-attorney services known as legal document assistants to assist clients directly with preparing their legal paperwork.

We just happen to decide to specialize in providing a Santa Clarita divorce service which is much cheaper than using an attorney for your divorce.

When people find out how cheap our divorce service is compared to using an attorney, they are very excited.  Especially since we prepare the divorce paperwork exactly like the attorney would have anyways.   And because we do so, if you ever need to hire an attorney for whatever reason, you are in good shape to simply move your case over with the attorney.  You won’t have to start over in the process.

We work with the local Santa Clarita divorce attorneys to make sure you get through your divorce.  Because we have worked for some of Santa Clarita’s largest divorce firms, we can refer you to an attorney if you ever need legal advice or court representation.

We also have relationships with Santa Clarita divorce mediators and family counselors.

We are your best choice in Santa Clarita for finding a divorce service that is cheaper than that of using a divorce attorney.

Give us a call to discuss the issues you are facing in regards to your divorce.  You will be pleasantly surprised to find that we can handle most divorce cases in Santa Clarita regardless of the circumstances.

Getting Divorced After Long Term Separation | Santa Clarita Divorce

Getting Divorced After Long Term Separation | Santa Clarita Divorce

I had two calls today from folks looking to finish their divorce.  One couple had been separated and living apart for over 10 years.  They were finally ready to move on with their lives and decided it was time to close this chapter in their lives when they wanted to remarry.

On another note, some folks simply don’t officially divorce due to money contraints.

If you have been separated for some time and are in a relationship that you think might turn to marriage, this would be a good time to finish your divorce.  The divorce process takes time, so make sure to get started on your divorce before you set a wedding date.

I have had one instance where we were under the gun to complete the divorce before the wedding date.  Not a good place to be.  Thinking of finishing your divorce when you should be focusing on your new bride.

There are lot’s of reasons that people don’t start or finish their divorce.  Divorce is not something that is pleasant to have to confront and sometimes it is just easier to forget and hope it goes away.  Unfortunately it doesn’t.

The other call I took today was a little different.  The clients started their divorce over 20 years ago.  They hired attorneys and went to court and  everthing.  They were under the impression that their divorce was finalized.

When one of the spouses went to submit their paperwork for their retirement, the employer advised them that they needed a copy of the divorce decree.

When the spouse went to the court to get the divorce judgment paperwork, they were advised that the divorce had not been finished.  What’s worse is because the case was so old it had been archived and they will most likely have to start the entire divorce process over.

Whats even worse than that is that one of the spouses had already re-married… And legally is not divorced.

These types of things can happen when you attempt to go through the divorce process on your own.  Divorce is confusing and stressful and mistakes can happen.

Please give us a call for help with your Santa Clarita divorce.  We can help you navigate the divorce process and pick up where you left off if you started your divorce already or have had a long period of separation.

We Don’t Agree On The Terms Of Our Divorce | Santa Clarita

We Don’t Agree On The Terms Of Our Divorce | Santa Clarita

Many of our clients are in the situation where they are unable to come to an agreement on the terms of their divorce.

Both parties want to get divorced, but are having trouble coming to an agreement on such things as Spousal Support, Child Custody, Child Support and other issues related to the separation of assets and debts.

While I do have clients that are completely amicable and they agree on all the terms of their divorce, the majority of divorce cases I handle do have at least some disagreement in one or more of the area indicated above.  This is something we can help you work through.

Because of our experience working with the courts, we can help you to use the courts free services to help work out some of the areas where you are having  trouble coming to an agreement.

For instance, if you are having trouble with agreeing on how much spousal support or child support should be paid, you can make an appointment with the court facilitator.  This is a lawyer working for the courts who will help you understand how child support and spousal support works and run several scenario’s on your income and child custody arrangements to help facilitate the issue.

There is no cost for using the courts services as they are all part of the original filing fee you paid initially.  While it is not mandatory that you come to an agreement, the facilitator can draw up an agreement for which can be used for the final judgment paperwork when you get to that part of the divorce.

You never know what will happen during the divorce process.  It can be entirely smooth or it can go sideways at any moment.  Regardless of what happens we can help you navigate the courts services to get assistance when you don’t agree on the terms of your divorce.

 

Is Lack Of Money Preventing You From Divorce | Santa Clarita

Is Lack Of Money Preventing You From Divorce | Santa Clarita

Most people use my divorce paralegal service because of cost.  They want to save money and not pay for lawyers.  In addition, they feel that their divorce case will be uncontested and mostly amicable.  These are good fits for my service.

But despite the affordable divorce services we offer, studies show that many people stay married, although living separately, due to a lack of money which is preventing them from getting divorced.  Lack of money, that is, to get the legal assistance they need to prepare their divorce paperwork.

The study was done by Ohio State University who surveyed 7,272 people between 1979 and 2008.  Most of the people in the study who separated from their spouse reported getting a divorce within three years of separation.  The survey also revealed that 15% of people who separated did not get a divorce (and who wanted to) within the first 1o years.  The reason stated here was because it was too costly to get divorced.  Thus, they remained legally married for the sole reason of lack of money.

The survey state that people could not afford an attorney for their divorce.  Who can these days with hourly rates for divorce attorneys skyrocketing and the average billable hour being approximately $450.00 per hour.

Apparently these people who were surveyed had not heard about the affordable divorce legal services that we offer.  Legal Document Assistants such as we are, only exist in about 5 states and I am not sure if Ohio is one of them.

Californians are fortunate that Legal Document Assistants are able to work directly with the public without attorney assistance to prepare divorce paperwork.  We provide flat rates for our divorce service which makes getting a divorce a lot easier on the pocketbook.

If you are not getting divorced due the costs, please give us a call.  We can usually work out some type of payment arrangement so we can get the divorce process started for you.

Understanding Property During Divorce | Santa Clarita

Understanding Property During Divorce | Santa Clarita

When people are going through divorce and Santa Clarita, they often have many questions about how distribution of property works,  specifically in regards to when they have to complete their their preliminary declaration of disclosures.  This involves the income and expense report and schedule of assets and debts.

So let’s talk little bit about what the courts considers property and what property needs to be indicated on these forms.

Property is anything that can be bought or sold. For instance:  Your house, cars, furniture, or clothing.  Also anything that has value like bank accounts and cash,  pension plans, 401(k) plans, stocks and perhaps a patent that you own or even a business.

So when you get divorced, the court makes decisions about how to divide the property that the spouses bought during the marriage.

Even if you don’t want to deal with these issues or if you divide your property infomally, the court still needs to make formal orders about these issues.  This doesn’t mean that you have to get in front of a judge to make an order.

This means that you have to come to an agreement and then put those agreements down on paper.

Once you have your agreement as far as how you’re going to divide your property you simply need to put that on the judgment paperwork and sign those forms so the  judgment can be submitted indicating how you wish to distribute your property.

It is important that you disclose all your property during your divorce.  When completing the preliminary declaration of disclosures (which is generally mandatory) you will want to list everything that was obtained during the marriage, whether in your name our your spouses name.

We can help you with prepare your disclosures during divorce.  Please give us a call for more information about our divorce services in Santa Clarita.

Santa Clarita Divorce Paralegal Offices In Santa Clarita

Santa Clarita Divorce Paralegal Offices In Santa Clarita

I have been really feeling the pressure to break from my current virtual / online divorce service format.  To date, we have been very successful in avoiding the traditional mold of a brick and mortar business model.

But lately it seems that more and more people feel like there is something wrong with your business if you don’t have an office location where they can physically drive to.  And this is despite the fact that I am a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service and give one heck of an explanation of how and why our online divorce service works in Santa Clarita.

So I have broken down and started looking at retail and industrial offices in Santa Clarita.  Now I remember why I did not want to get an office.  It is crazy expensive, even for a 5×5 cubicle in a not so good area of town.

So do I break my online divorce service format?  I guess it boils down to how many clients I may be losing by their subconscious telling them to stay away from a business that does not have a physical business address.

I did some research and Google’d “Public Perception Of Virtual Business” and found some interesting thoughts.  Want to know what the number one disadvantage of a virtual business model was?  The public perception was that your organization will not be around for long if they utilize a virtual business model.

I thought that was so interesting.  I see so many Santa Clarita restaurants and business’s closing shop and the perception is that virtual business’s will not be around long.  Did anyone care to mention that it was probably the inability to pay the rent that put them out of business in the first place?

In any case, I am just about to become a brick and mortar business so the public does not think we are on the way out or some sham business.

What’s your take on this subject?

 

Why It Is Important To Educate Yourself About Divorce | Santa Clarita

Why It Is Important To Educate Yourself About Divorce | Santa Clarita

When considering getting divorced, it is important that you spend time to understand the process and steps to getting divorced. It is for these reasons that we produce so many videos and write so many articles about divorce.

We want the consumer to be educated about the divorce process.

A recent new client called and had done just that.  When I received the call, I asked them how much they new about our company and the services we could provide.

His answer was perfect.  He said that he and his wife had watched a lot of the videos we had made and read many of the articles that we have written about divorce and the process.

He said he was able to make the decision to use our services before he called because of the amount of information we had produced.  The call to our office was mostly follow up questions and specifics as to their situation.

This is a perfect example of what someone should do before calling us.  I am not suggesting you don’t call us.  Please do.  But please also read some of our blog content and watch a few of our videos.  T

They are very easy to understand and are very short.  It will make for a better conversation when you call.  This is especially true if you don’t know what to ask.

After watching some of the videos and reading our blog content, you probably will have some questions related to your specific set of circumstances.

We continually make new videos and written content about divorce on a daily basis.  Sometimes as many as five articles are written daily and on average at least on video per day.

So spend some time to get to know a little about us and understand the divorce process.  Then, when your ready, give us a call so we can discuss the specifics to your situation.

We are a licensed and bonded Legal Document Preparation firm that specializes in divorce.  We have years of experience helping families through the divorce process.  We provide a 100% online affordable divorce solution. Please call us for more information.

Questions About FL-141 During Divorce | Santa Clarita

Questions About FL-141 During Divorce | Santa Clarita

I had someone ask a great question today about how to complete the FL-141.  This is the form you use to instruct the court that you have served either your preliminary declaration of disclosure or the final declaration of disclosure.

The FL-141 is called the Declaration Regarding Service of Declaration of Disclosure and Income and Expense Declaration.

When you file this form with the court, you are telling them that you served your income and expense declaration and your schedule of assets and debts.

The question specifically asked this.  When you file your final declaration of disclosure, do you mark both the preliminary and final box and put both the dates of when you served the preliminary and final on one form?

Here goes the answer.  This is a multi-use form.  It can be used by the Petitioner or Respondent and can be used to tell the court you are filing the Preliminary Declaration of Disclosure or Final Declaration of Disclosure.

You would only do one or the other on the form.  So if you are filing your preliminary declaration of disclosure, you would only mark box #2 which addresses that.

When you later go to file your Final Declaration of Disclosure, you would only mark box #4 which addresses that.

When filing your Final Declaration of Disclosure, you would not mark both box #2 and #4 on the same form at once.

I appreciate getting questions from folks representing themselves.  Especially when it comes to form completion questions.   We understand that some folks want to go through the divorce without assistance.

We are here to help whether you hire us to professionally prepare your divorce or you are just looking for assistance or have a question about how to complete a form.

We are headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA and specialize in the divorce process providing affordable divorce document preparation.  Our service is 100% online which means we can serve you anywhere in Los Angeles County.

Is Your Divorce Case Taking Forever | Santa Clarita

Is Your Divorce Case Taking Forever | Santa Clarita

Does it feel like your divorce case is taking forever and going nowhere?  It is not surprising that many divorces take years to complete, usually because they are dealing with everything other than the actual divorce.

I talk to many clients who call me and have been involved with their divorce for years.  Both spouses have attorneys and they have been to court many times, but they are still very far away from completing the paperwork necessary to get divorced.

Take the case of the call I received today.  Both spouses had attorneys and they have been going through the divorce process for over a year now.  When I looked at their case summary online, the only thing that has been done towards completing the divorce was that the one of them had filed for divorce and the other had filed a Response.  That was it?

I did not want to ask how much money they had collectively spent on attorneys.   My guess was that it was in the $30,000 range, each.  They had been to court at least half a dozen times and at $500 per hour, it adds up fast.

After looking at the case summary, I learned that they literally had all the divorce paperwork to complete still.  And this was after a year.

I wish more people would come to their senses and figure out that the only people that win during divorce are the lawyers.  All that is accomplished is that you have spent more of your nest egg and have less for your children.

Sometimes the spouses have to do this before they see the light.  There is a lot of emotion sometimes and all you want to do is attack.  Once you get that out of your system, we can move forward with real progress on completing the divorce.

If you are working with an attorney, it is never too late to call you spouse and attempt to negotiate the terms of your divorce.  That is what this couple did.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in divorce.  Please give us a call for a free phone consultation.