What Is A Divorce Legal Document Assistant | California Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Hi! My name is Tim Blankenship, owner of SCV Legal Doc Assist. I’m a legal document assistant licensed and bonded through the County of Los Angeles to provide direct to consumer self-help legal services.

We’ve decided that we would specialize in only one field of law and that’s divorce. Divorce process is all we do; in fact, that’s where our experience comes from.

We have years of experience having worked in the family law courtrooms, in the self-help centers, and local area family law firms. We have the experience it takes to get you from start to finish in the divorce process and we could help you with all the divorce paperwork and help you procedurally in instructing you on how the courts operate.

What that means is, because we are not attorneys, we do not represent either side. Our sole function here is to help both parties prepare their divorce paperwork properly so it could be filed with the court and not get rejected. So when you call us, we can work with both you and your spouse to prepare your paperwork.

Now, we prepare paperwork exactly how a law firm would prepare your divorce paperwork—what that means is, when you’re working with us, we will parallel the process that a law firm would but for a fraction of the cost.

The benefit in doing this is that, if for whatever reason your case requires an attorney to assist you, you will not have to start over on the process. There are shortcuts to this and we do not take those shortcuts. So when you use our services, if for whatever reason you need to seek legal advice or use an attorney for representation at any point during the time we are helping you, you can take your paperwork and make them pick up exactly where we left off.

If you like more information about our services, please give us a call at 661-281-0266.

006 DMR | Now Offering Online California Divorce Solution

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

006 DMR | Now Offering Online California Divorce Solution

In Episode 6 of Divorce Master Radio, we discuss our offering of an online divorce product that will allow folks to file their divorce completely online using software that uses automated document assembly.

The way the software works is that it allows you to answer a series of online questions that will automatically populate the divorce documents so you don’t have to figure out what goes where.

The only thing you will have to do once the divorce forms are completed is to follow the procedure to properly file and serve all the documents.

Here is how we are different that other providers of online divorce services.

First of all, we are a full service divorce document preparation service in California.  We are offering our online process in addition to our full service process, because some people see more value in an online product.

Even if you decide to use our online divorce product instead of our full service divorce, you still get all the assistance you would normally get.

For instance, with other online divorce services, there is nobody reviewing your documents and nobody looking to see if you do things correctly.  They can’t.  They are huge corporations.

With us, you get total support and review of all your documents.  You also get a secure client portal to ask questions along the way.

In addition, we guarantee our service!  If you later decide that you no longer want to use the online service, we can upgrade you to our full service and give you full credit for what you paid for the online service.

This is a great value to folks going through divorce in California and we are exited to offer this product.

 

Press Play Below To Listen To This Podcast Or Click Here Subscribe To This Channel On iTunes

 

California Divorce Forms You Will Need To Complete Your Judgment For Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

If you have been reading blogs in the past, you know that we are always giving out tons of free advice.  Today, we are providing all the divorce forms you will need to complete your California divorce Judgment.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A78336BD842″]

Do you want to know what is sad?  This huge stack of forms was given to a client of ours when they went down to court.  They were amazed that the forms had absolutely no instructions.  There is no form that says how to fill out any of the divorce papers.

All they received (which is what you see below) was the blank forms.

Good luck with that?

It is pretty scary to think that the divorce judgment is the most difficult part of the divorce paperwork to fill out.  We uploaded all the forms to slideshare and realized that is was more than 40 pages that you will have to complete if you are planning on doing your own divorce.

And this is just the final judgment forms for your divorce.  This does not count all the forms you had to fill out, serve and file with the court up to this point.

Here is the slideshare if you plan on attempting this on your own.

We have to admit, however, that the likelihood of you actually completing your own divorce is not very high.  We are just being honest with you.

We have people call our office everyday who have attempted and got stuck along the way and really messed up their divorce papers.  In most cases, we have to totally start over with filing an amended petition.

But we do know that there are people out there that are going to try it on their own. Perhaps they have more time than money and don’t mind spending countless hours trying to figure everything out and are not in a hurry to complete their California divorce.

Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

If you are going through a divorce in California and thinking about using the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center, I want to give you some tips, tricks, things to watch out for and alternatives to using the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center.

Let me first start by saying that if you have no money, are unemployed and have all the time in the world to wait in line, day after day, at the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center, then it can be a great  resource for you.

However, if you are a busy professional, don’t have time to spend several days (all day) waiting in line to get some help with your divorce, then the VanNuys Divorce Self Help Center is not for you and you will want to use a service like mine.

Watch this quick video where I explain in detail some of the advantages and disadvantages of using the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A75DB0C7A68″]

So as you can see, if you watched the video, the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center is great for people who cannot afford to hire a professional service to help them with their divorce.  The Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center is also great for those who have the time to sit for hours on end waiting to get help with their divorce.

If you are a busy professional, or otherwise just don’t have the time to wait for assistance and would like someone to complete your divorce for you, go down to court for you and fill out all your forms, you are going to want to give us a call.

Here is how I tell people if they should use our service or not.

If you have more time than money, go to the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center.  If you don’t have the time and are both of you are working, you have to see what your actually losing in pay, leaving work to go down to the Van Nuys divorce self help center.

When you use our divorce service, you will save time and money.

Yes, we will also save you money because we are able to not only get you through the divorce process with one filing fee (not two) but because you are free to go on about your life without it being interrupted by you trying to file your own divorce.

Give us a call, we would love to help you out.

005 DMR – Understanding Filing Response During California Divorce (Podcast)

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

005 DMR – Understanding Filing Response During California Divorce (Podcast)

In our fifth episode of Divorce Master Radio, we go deeper into the procedure of California Divorce, specifically talking about what to do when you are served divorce papers in California and what your responsibilities are in filing a Response.

Just as a side note, we are impressed that in only a short few weeks, our Podcast has been downloaded and listened to a lot more than we thought would.  In fact, we weren’t sure if anybody would listen to it, but apparently we were wrong.

In this Podcast we talk at lengths about what to do after you have been served divorce papers, timelines, and what forms you need to complete to finalize your divorce.

Topics discussed:

  1. What forms you need to file a Response
  2. What the timelines are for filing a Response
  3. When financial forms need to be completed
  4. How long do you have to prepare and file and serve the financial disclosures
  5. The steps to completing your divorce
  6. Why the divorce process is easy and that people make it difficult
  7. How to file by mail
  8. That you don’t have to go to court
  9. How we can help you with your California divorce anywhere in California

We hope you enjoy episode 5 of Divorce Master Radio. Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel on iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

 

Press Play Below To Listen To This Podcast Or Click Here Subscribe To This Channel On iTunes

Income Withholding For Support Form FL-195 | How To File & Serve

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

The Income Withholding For Support form FL-195 just might be one of the most confusing forms to fill out while going through your California divorce.

We will get into how to fill it out, but first lets talk about what it does and why you might want to do it.

Also, we have a slideshare below where you can view a template of the Income Withholding For Support Form FL-195.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A63B51A4FA9″]

Okay, the Income Withholding For Support Form FL-195 is a form you will fill out if there is an order for spousal support or child support and you want to have that support deducted directly from your spouses employer.  It is not mandatory that you do this, meaning your spouse can simply write you a check every month.

But if you feel there might be a problem collecting support from your spouse each month, you may want to fill out this form.  Just keep in mind that there is a specific way these needs to be done.

Here are the steps:

  1. Fill out the form (see template below)
  2. File with court and wait for judge to sign (so it becomes an official order)
  3. Serve on your spouses employer (by certified mail to ensure delivery)

The Income withholding for support form FL-195 can be used when you are submitting your final divorce papers (judgment) or anytime after.  You can also use this form if you recently had a hearing in court and there was an order for support or modification for support.

Also, if you will use this form if you need to modify or terminate spousal support or child support.  We will cover this topic in a future article.

We are a full service divorce company that can help your with your divorce anywhere in California.  Please make sure to give us a call if you need assistance with your California divorce.

 

How Long Does The California Divorce Process Really Take?

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

How long does the California divorce process take you ask?  It is certainly a loaded question, but let’s take a look at a few answers.  I have also discussed this in my video below.  Please feel free to watch or continue reading below.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A36E084B8FE”]

The most common reference to this questions of how long the California divorce process takes is, “What is the fastest I can get divorced?”  This answer is easy. California has a cooling off period and says that your divorce cannot be finished until 6 months plus one day have elapsed since your spouse was served.  The purpose of this time frame is to allow the parties time to reconcile.

Imagine if you could get divorced in a day, how many people would be getting re-married!

The next common reference to how long the California divorce process takes is about the paperwork.  How long will it take to get all the paperwork done?

The divorce paperwork can be completed as fast as you can fill out the forms.  We have even completed all the paperwork in single sittings in our office where the parties are present and sign all the documents.  We just have to make sure to follow the procedure correctly as there is a certain order to  filing and serving the divorce forms.

The California divorce process can be very short or very long.  In fact, the divorce process isn’t all that difficult at all.  What makes the divorce process difficult and take a long time is the parties involved.

If you are willing to work together to get your divorce done amicably, then the process will be relatively smooth and will take only the 6 months.

If you are not cooperative and want to fight it out in court, it could take many years.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service that specializes in divorce.  We can help you anywhere in California.  Make sure to give us a call for assistance.

By Tim Blankenship

What To Do If Your California Default Divorce Is Rejected

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

There are a few different ways you can file for divorce.  In this article we are specifically talking about the California Default Divorce.  This can be a True Default, where the other party is not involved at all or a Hybrid Divorce, where it is a Default, but you have an agreement.

More specifically, we are discussing the how to use the Request To Enter Default form with a default style divorce because we are seeing that people are having difficulty understanding how to use the form and when to submit it to the court.

Watch this quick video where I discuss what to do if your Request to Enter Default is rejected during your California divorce.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A3849687753″]

If you are doing a true California default divorce, where the other party is not going to participate at all, you can file the Request to enter default form 30 days after the other party has been served.

But did you know that you can also submit your entire divorce judgment as well at the same time?

You sure can!

Most people think that they have to submit the request to enter default first, and then wait the 4-8 weeks or longer to see if it is approved before filing their judgment.  This is not necessary.

All you need to do is submit your entire California divorce judgment papers along with the Request To Enter Default forms.

When you are submitting a request to enter default for your California divorce, you may have to attach the FL-160’s (Property Declarations) if you have property.  Don’t forget, you need 2 sets of forms.  Once for community property and one for separate property.

We recommend you do one of each, even if there is no property, so the court knows that to be the case and don’t think you just forgot to do the forms.

Make sure to watch the video above, where I go into a little bit more detail about the Request to Enter Default and specifically about what you can do if your request to enter default is rejected during the California divorce process.

By Tim Blankenship

004 DMR Why Transparency In Home Sale Process During California Divorce Is Important

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

004 DMR Why Transparency In Home Sale Process During California Divorce Is Important

In this podcast we discuss why it is important to have transparency when selling your home when you are going through a divorce in California.

When you are going through a divorce in California, you may not be on the best speaking terms.  But it is important that you do communicate so you can make decisions such as selling your home, among others.

But where the parties are not communicating well, there are ways a real estate agent can assist you and you spouse get through the California home sale process, even when going through a divorce.

In this podcast, we discuss some of these ways.  For instance, a Realtor who is working part of a team or who has a team of agents working with them can assign each of the parties a separate real estate agent who can be their advocate and handle all the communication.

This would prevent the parties from having to get different real estate agents, which in and of itself would be a total nightmare and probably not be feasible at all anyways.

Real estate agents can even use technology to help the parties sign the sales contracts.  Programs such as DocuSign allow the parties to sign many of the real estate documents which can be done right on your computer and even be done separately.

I know we use Docusign quite a bit in for our California divorce clients that we are assisting remotely throughout California.

I hope you enjoy this podcast as it has tremendous value if you are going through a divorce in California and need to sell your home.

Press Play Below To Listen To This Podcast Or Click Here Subscribe To This Channel On iTunes

 

By Tim Blankenship

California Divorce Service Now On iTunes | Divorce Master Radio

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

We are excited to announce that our California Divorce Legal Document Preparation service now has a podcast which can be listened to on iTunes.  Make sure to check out our iTunes podcast called Divorce Master Radio.  Use the link and check it out.

We are the first LDA (Legal Document Assistant ) firm to have a podcast on iTunes and is just one more way to get out information about divorce in California.

Having an iTunes show made sense since we are advocates of getting information out to our clients (or future clients) who may need our service.  our iTunes podcast is now in addition to our blog, videos and social media accounts that we have had for some time now.

As an avid listener to podcasts, one thing I have learned is that I really connect with the person speaking on the microphone and can get some really in depth information and better understanding of what I am listening to.

I am hoping that the same happens for the listeners our show.  We are going to have some solo episodes about California divorce as well line up interviews with folks that would add value to our show.

Podcasts in general have started to become more popular now that so many people have smart phones and can listen virtually everywhere they go.  I know that I listen to podcasts at least  twice per day when I walk my dogs.  I also listen to podcasts while driving (not much of music guy).

In any case, I hope you enjoy the California divorce podcast officially known as “Divorce Master Radio”

I have embeded our most recent episode below.

By Tim Blankenship