70% Of California Divorce Cases Are Without An Attorney

It has been about 2 years since I have discussed this and I figure as we start to get busy again with divorce filings at the beginning of the year, it is good to discuss again.

70% of divorce cases never have an attorney involved and 80% of divorce cases end and finalize without an attorney. Why is this? And why is the first thing people think is attorney when they are thinking about getting divorced?  If you were to ask around, it would appear that everyone uses a divorce attorney for their divorce, but you are just hearing about your friends with nasty divorce cases.

Many people quietly end their marriage peacefully using our Legal Document Assistant service throughout California.  But you don’t hear about these divorce cases. You only hear the news about celebrities getting divorce and how they take years and costs millions.  And everyone has a friend who got “screwed” in their nasty divorce who seems to share that information with everyone and so everyone feels this is the way divorce is supposed to be. So far from the truth.

So why is it that 70% never use an attorney and 80% finalize without one? That statistic does not seem to make sense.  Here is why. For those people who hire a divorce attorney either at the beginning or somewhere at the middle will part ways with their divorce attorney prior to the case finalizing.

This happens either because the parties settled prior to the trial or what is even worse is that the parties can no longer afford their attorney and the divorce attorney drops them prior to trial.

I get calls all the time where people have hired a divorce attorney, spent countless ten’s of thousands of dollars and right before they need their divorce attorney the most, they can’t afford to pay them so the divorce attorney drops them. Now they are left to handle their trial all by themselves.

For this reason, I tell people that even if you have a contested case and you know you are going to need an attorney, start your case with us and save as much money as possible so that when you really need a divorce attorney you can hire one and have them see it through. Well, at least the 20% of you who will need one!

If you can spare yourself the cost of an attorney. Use an alternative service such as our Legal Document Assistant service or mediation if possible.

Got Divorced And Now We’re Best Friends And Better Parents

I have heard this said many times by my clients, “After the divorce, we became friends and better parents”

I have heard this so many times that I decided to write about figuring there must be others who went through this or are wondering what the other side of divorce looks like.

Now I don’t have any scientific proof or even case studies, rather what I am relating here is what many clients have told me over the years.

Just yesterday I had a client call me who is in the middle of a divorce who is using our service. I had not heard from him in a month or so (this is common during the holidays) and he called to get the divorce process moving again.

He said that he didn’t feel the need to move forward quickly and that he and his wife were getting along better than ever and even shared the holidays together.  Before he could finish his sentence I said, “It is almost like getting a divorce takes the stress off the marriage, right?”.

He thought I was a mind reader. What I said to him instantly hit home and then he repeated exactly what I said then asked how I could possibly know that.

So I told him. I have heard that so many times in one fashion or another where people who are either going through the divorce process with us or have completed their California divorce with us that they have a better relationship with their Ex and their children.

Now I am not saying this is the case for everyone nor am I encouraging divorce or even saying that you will become best friends or better parents by filing for divorce… But it does happen.

I spent about 10 minutes on Google trying to see if there were any case studies or other articles about this, but all I could find were articles talking about how to be friends after divorce and things like that. Nothing about this effect we are talking about here.

So what is it about this connection to our spouse we call “Marriage” that causes such a stress that once we break that tie people are able to get along better? I am sure it could be several reasons, whether it be the financial ties or need to “act” or “behave” married when you really are not feeling it anymore.

Maybe getting the divorce allows you to break those feelings and “act” with your true feelings of just being friends.

I am no psychologist or counselor and I definitely don’t have the answer. Even the client I spoke to yesterday could only relate what was happening, but didn’t know what it was exactly that changed.

Divorce661 is a full service divorce firm who specializes in amicable California divorce’s. If you need assistance please give us a call or schedule a free consultation.

Financial Considerations During California Divorce

When it comes to divorce, one thing you will be discussing is your finances. Aside from having children, your asset and debts division and discussion will likely be the next biggest topic.

I know that is the case with my clients. First they focus on the children, next comes the finances.  Both children and finances are part of divorce and will be part of your Marital Settlement Agreement also know as the divorce judgment.

When discussing your assets and debts as part of a divorce, one of the things both parties will have to do is disclosure. This is where both of you will create a list of your assets and debts that you are aware of.

The court’s require this mandatory disclosure so that you and your spouse can essentially tell each other what you are know exists.  Even if you feel you both know what everything is, the court will require you to certify that you have complied with the disclosure process.

Here are a few things to think about when going through a divorce:

• Start Collecting Your Financial Documentation

This could mean obtaining your credit card statements, bank statements, mortgage statements, etc. If you are going through an amicable divorce, your discussion regarding asset and debt division may occur at the coffee table while you go through everything trying to figure out what would be fair.  Or you may find yourself in divorce mediation if you need help coming up with a settlement.

• Make Sure You Both Are Aware Of What Debt’s You Are Responsible For

Once you have agreed on who is  keeping what debt, you will need to make sure that each of you are aware of what assets and debts you are going to be paying on.

In many cases the debt you pay on may stay in both of your names. It would make sense for each of you to open separate credit cards and pay off the community debt and put each of your portions on a separate credit card.

• Keep An Eye On Your Credit Score

Even in the most amicable of situations you will want to keep an eye on your credit score. This is especially true where you keep credit card debt or even vehicle loans combined because you are unable to get new credit cards or refinance loans into your own name. You wouldn’t want your credit ruined because your ex either forgot to pay the debt they agreed or was unable to pay and did not tell you.

Here at Divorce661, we offer a full-service divorce assisting our clients going through divorce in California who don’t want the high expense of hiring an attorney and who are amicable enough that they can work together with our assistance to get through the divorce process.