How To File An Order After Hearing | Santa Clarita Divorce

You went to divorce court, spoke to the Judge during a hearing and the Judge made orders that you requested.  That’s great, right?  Not so fast, you still have to prepare an Order After Hearing or OAH.

This article is a follow up to an article we wrote about representing yourself during a hearing and what you can expect.  This article is going to explain what you have to do after the hearing in order to have your judgment enforced.

Once the Judge makes orders, you have to get a copy of the Minute Order.  The Minute Order is what the clerk in the courtroom prepares and is a written summary of the Judges orders.  You can get a copy of the Minute Order a few days after your hearing.  You will then use the Minute Order to prepare your Order After Hearing.

What is an Order After Hearing?  It is a form you will use to document what the Judge has ordered.  You will prepare the Order After Hearing  which then needs to be mailed to your spouse who is to sign the Order After Hearing agreeing to the language of the Order.

But what happens if they refuse to sign it?  In that case, you have to wait 10 days for them to return the signed Order After Hearing.  After that, you can file the OAH along with a Declaration Regarding Execution of Order After Hearing.

When you mail the Order After Hearing to your spouse for their signature, you have to include a letter which indicates that they have 10 days to respond.

It is quite a process to get an order signed by the court.  By this time you have waited about 2 months to get your hearing, then you have to get the Minute Order, complete the Order After Hearing, wait 10 days, then draft a Declaration Regarding Execution of Order After Hearing, then wait for the Judge to sign and return that.

So here is our recommendation.  If you are going to represent yourself in court or at a hearing, have us prepare your motion.  We will take care of everything from filing and serving to completing the Order After Hearing so you don’t have to worry about all the requirements as discussed here.

We specialize in the divorce process in Santa Clarita and are legal document assistants here to help.

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We Are Here To Answer Your Divorce Questions | Santa Clarita

While we provide lots of content about how divorce works, the divorce process and what it takes to get divorced, there is nothing better than a one on one conversation to make it all make sense.

I write and blog about everything we can think of in terms of divorce.  Everyday when someone asks me a question about divorce, If I have not covered that topic in a blog post, I will make sure to do it that day.

So if you found our website, you were probably trying to find an answer to a question that we have covered.  Once you have that questions answered, you probably realize that you have another.  That is just how it works.

Of course, you can search our site for more answers or you can pick up the phone and call us.

I spend most of my day working on divorce cases and answering phone calls about the divorce process and our services.  I am here to help solve your problems.  When you searched online, you were trying to solve a problem.  Whether it was to get divorced, assistance with child support or because a judgment was rejected, you were looking to solve  problem.   A problem that we have dealt with and discussed on our blogs.

So when you call us, we are not going to give you a line about how amazing we are, even though we are.  We are going to discuss what is happening in your specific situation and then advise you what we can do to help.  We are not pushy nor are we here to “sell” you anything.  We just want to solve your problems.

Give us a call if you have a question about divorce.  We want to help.  If we don’t know the answer or can’t help you we would be happy to refer you to someone who can.

We specialize in divorce and look forward to answering any questions you may have about divorce in Santa Clarita.

Police Officers Using Our Santa Clarita Divorce Firm

Everyone knows that the life of a Police Officer is tough.  I should know.  I spent over 12 years with the Los Angeles Police Department.  And the divorce rate is high enough.  Add to that the stresses of being in Law Enforcement and divorce rate is even higher.

Police Officers, Sheriffs and other emergency personnel get divorced just like everyone else, sometimes multiple times.  It just seems to go with the job.

I have helped numerous Law Enforcement Personnel complete their divorce in Santa Clarita.  I have helped my own brothers and sisters in blue at LAPD as well as those wearing the tan and green.  You Los Angeles Sheriffs out there know what I’m talking about.

Earning the trust of Police and Sheriff’s is a tough job.  We are a  critical bunch.  Un-trusting.  Suspicious.  Skeptical.  I get it, I was right there with you.  So when a Police Officer or Sheriff learns to trust our divorce firm in Santa Clarita, I know we are on the right tract.

Is the divorce service any different for law Enforcement Personnel?  Nope, you have to go through the exact same process as everyone else.  In most cases you won’t have to go to court.  But if you do, you won’t be able to put in for overtime 🙂

Make sure to give us a call if you are facing getting divorced.  I would hate for you to spend your hard earned money or go into debt to hire an attorney for your divorce.  It just is not necessary in most cases.

We can walk you through each step of the process, get your divorce documents completed and will file and serve everything.  You do what you do best, and we will do what we do best.

Let us help you get this behind you without leaving a heap of legal bills behind.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in divorce.  We are headquartered in Santa Clarita and serve all of Los Angeles County and Courts.

 

We Are Your Ticket To An Affordable Divorce | Santa Clarita

The word is out that we are the business to come to when you want to save money on your divorce.  We have your ticket to an affordable divorce.

You are not alone if your are looking for a better way to get divorced.  One which does not break the bank.  And we get all types of clients from all walks of life.  The common thread is they don’t want to spend a fortune on their divorce.

Sometimes we have folks use us because they are low income.  Others have a job and no time to complete the divorce on their own.  We get Doctors and other professionals who obviously could afford an attorney, but whom choose to avoid throwing away their money,  We work with Police Officers, Fire Personnel, Teachers, the sky’s the limit.

Folks are literally flocking to us not only because we offer an affordable solutions to an otherwise costly procedure, but be because we offer a great value.

Folks often tell us that they would have been willing to pay more for our divorce service.  And truth be told, we used to charge more.  However,we found that wit the higher prices we were pricing people out of being able to afford our service.  That is not why we started this business.  We wanted the masses to be able to afford using our divorce firm.

When people tell us that they would have been willing to pay more, what they are telling us is that we provided a highly valuable service.  Value!  That is more important than just offering a low cost service.  We all know that you get what you pay for a lot of times in life.

When you work with us, we want you walk away feeling you received a great value and spread the word about our services.  Raving fans of our business is all we ask for.

Santa Clarita Divorce Services A Neutral Third Party

One of the benefits of working with our Santa Clarita divorce services is that we are a neutral third party.  This means we don’t represent either party to the divorce and often work with both spouses throughout the process.

When divorcing parties have legal representation there is an instant adversary relationship.  Each attorney it going to fight against the other to gain some advantage over the other party.  This is certainly not what you want if you are trying to reach an amicable resolution to your divorce.

This is not the case with our divorce services.  Because we are not attorneys, we don’t represent either side.  Our sole function is to help both parties get the necessary paperwork done so they can conclude their divorce.

But what happens when there is disagreements and you need assistance?  First, let me say that divorce cases without at least some disagreement are rare.  There are always one thing that is disagreed upon. In most cases, the parties are able to resolve them on their own.  However, where guidance from an attorney is needed, we can assist you by setting up appointments with the Courts free services that are there to help you come to an understanding.

Most people don’t know that part of what your filing fee pays for is to use all the services that the court has to offer.

For instance, if you need help determining how much spousal support needs to be paid, you can make an appointment with the Court Facilitator.  They are a neutral third party attorney who works for the court and will discuss your options about spousal support.

If you need help coming up with a parenting plan which can include child custody and visitation, you can make an appointment with the Court Mediators office.

If you want to get through your divorce, consider using our divorce service in Santa Clarita.  We are a neutral third party that does not pose a threat to either party.  We will gladly assist both spouses throughout the process.

How To Change Your Address During Divorce | Santa Clarita Divorce

Did you know that when you move while going through the divorce process you need to file a change of address?  Yep, there is a special form just for that.

I find that many of my clients are not aware of this.  In fact, when I learn that they have started their divorce on their own several years ago or they filed in a court that no longer appears to be the correct court, I make sure to ask if they have moved since they filed the initial divorce paperwork.

It is not likely that the court is going to mail you anything.  It is more about providing this information to the other party.  If you move and don’t tell your spouse you moved and they need to serve something on you, then they are going to have a difficult time.

One time the court will mail something to you is when you submit the final divorce judgment.  They will need to mail you a conformed copy that the judge signed.  So if you want to make sure you get a copy of your divorce, you will want to make sure the court has your current address.

The form you use to change your address when going through a divorce is form MC-040 called, Notice of Change Of Address or Other Contact Information.  As you can see by the description you can use this form not only to change your address, but to update phone numbers or any other type of information that has changed.

Make sure when you fill out this form that you also file it and serve the change of address.  If you fail to complete the 2nd page which is the proof of service, the court will reject your change of address.  The best way to do this is to complete the entire form, including the proof of service.  Then make a copy and file the original with the court.

We are licensed and bonded legal document preparation firm who specialize in the divorce process in California.

Santa Clarita Divorce Document Preparation And Mediation

Do you think you need an attorney for your divorce in Santa Clarita?  Odds  are, you don’t.  This is especially true now when you use both a divorce document preparation service and obtain professional mediation in Santa Clarita.

First off, when people call me, they think that divorce document preparation is very limited.  It is not.  Our divorce document preparation service can provide a wealth of information, explain the divorce process and help you understand exactly what it is going to take to get your divorce completed.

Many times people believe that if there are some disagreements about the terms of the their divorce that they cannot use our service.  This is incorrect.  In fact, we have helped many clients who had disagreements with their divorce come to an understanding and ultimately make agreements together.

How do we do this?  Through mediation.  While we are not a mediation service, we are able to help you set up free appointments with the courts to meet with the Courts mediators to help you come to agreements.  This is all part of the filing fee you pay when you file your divorce papers.  Why not use the Courts free services?  We will even help you set up  the appointment.

The mediation services through the court can be limited however.  Where they are not able to help you, you might be better served by the use of a professional mediation service in Santa Clarita.

We work hand in hand with a local divorce mediation service right here in Santa Clarita.  We send our clients to them to get assistance with coming to an agreement and once that is achieved, you come right back to our office to finish up the divorce paperwork.

This allows us to provide you with a much better level of service, knowing that if you hit some roadblocks on agreements with your divorce, that you can still complete your divorce with us.

It is our goal to get your though your Santa Clarita divorce without the need for attorneys.  This can be achieved by the using our Santa Clarita divorce document preparation service and, when needed, get the assistance of professional divorce mediation.

Divorce Services In Santa Clarita

We are a full service divorce document preparation firm in Santa Clarita.  We do a lot more than just prepare divorce papers.  We can help with just about any type of family law matter.

One of our divorce services is providing and preparing motions for hearings.  These are what used to be called OSC’s, Order To Show Cause, now called, RFO’s, Request For Orders.  We can help you prepare a motion or respond to a motion.

There are occasions when we have to do both a divorce filing and also complete a motion for you.  Motions are generally used to get temporary orders while you are waiting for your divorce to conclude.  Sometimes, we will prepare a motion post judgment where the divorce is already finalized.

We had both types of situations come up this week.

We help a client prepare a post judgment response to a Request For Order.  We prepared the application, drafted the declaration and got her ready for court.  She was representing herself, so we made sure to instruct her on where to go and how to file the paperwork.

Another case we handled this week was where the couple had just separated, but the husband was not paying child support.  Because the wife was not working, if she wanted to get temporary orders for child support, she would have to file a motion.  So in addition to preparing her divorce paperwork for filing, we also filed a motion for child support so hopefully she could start getting some money in while we were working on completing the divorce.

I think most people are surprised how knowledgeable we are and how much you can get accomplished when using our divorce services in Santa Clarita.

Feel free to give us a call to discuss how we can help you in your particular situation.

Using Your Tax Return For Divorce | Santa Clarita

I hope it does not seem to tacky, but it was something that came up today when discussing the costs of getting divorced.

I was talking to a new client who said they wanted to get divorced, but they just needed to wait for their tax return so they would have the money.

It got me thinking about what I do as a business and why I have this divorce legal document preparation service to begin with.

I never thought we would be in the business of providing affordable divorce document preparation.  In fact, I was working with a divorce law firm here in Santa Clarita getting experience in family law while I went to law school.

I became a bit disappointed when I saw how much money people were throwing away on divorce attorneys, just to end the marriage they were in.  It was only by chance that I learned of this little known field called Legal Document Assistants that could help prepare divorce documents for a fraction of the cost.

The reason I got into the business of preparing divorce documents was because of how many people could not truly afford the cost of attorneys for their divorce.  I thought how ridiculous it was the amount of money people were spending to get divorced.

You know how I know that people don’t have or don’t want to spend a lot of money on their divorce?  Because from the minute I opened up our doors and got the word out about our divorce services, people flocked in.  I mean there is a huge demand for what I offer.  And despite the fact that I could probably charge more due to demand and the lack of people supplying what I offer, I still choose to keep our expenses down, so I can keep the prices we charge for divorce down.

If you are going to get divorce using an affordable divorce document preparation service, using your tax refund for divorce might be your best bet.  At least you won’t go into debt hiring divorce attorneys and hopefully keep some of your tax return.

How To Get A Continuance For A Divorce Hearing | Santa Clarita

We have been talking a lot about filing motions this week and have helped several clients set court dates for hearings.  But what do you have to do in order to get a continuance for a hearing you have coming up.

Getting a continuance on a hearing for divorce case such as appearing on a motion that was filed can be quite simple, and in other cases can be a total pain.  It really depends on the cooperation from the other party.

Lets discuss the easy way.  The easiest way to get a continuance is to ask the other party if they would be agreeable to continue the matter.  It could be for a variety of reasons such as wanting to try and work it out before going to court or because you are going to be out of town, etc.

If the other party agrees to continue the matter, all you need to do is call the clerk in the department the divorce case is in.  Make sure you both call in together on a conference call.  The clerk will want to make sure that you both are agreeing the the continuance.

It is a good idea to have your calendar out so you know your availability.  The clerk will look for the next available dates to continue your matter to.  Don’t be surprised if it is several months away.  Once you, your spouse and the clerk agree on a date, you are done.  You will most likely have to file a notice of continuance with the court and pay a small fee.

Now, lets discuss a situation where the other party does not agree or does not respond to your request for a continuance.

This is a situation we just had to help a client through.  Husband filed a motion.  When wife was served she realized that the date of the hearing was when she would be out of town, several states away.  She asked Husband for a continuance and he has not responded.

Because the date of the hearing was fast approaching and because she could not cancel her trip, the only thing she could do is petition the court for a continuance.

So what we did is prepared an Ex-Parte Motion requesting the court to grant a continuance.  This is the only way to get in front of a judge so they can make a ruling on it.

It is a huge waste of time and money, but in this case, was the only way she was going to have a chance to ask the judge for a continuance.