California Divorce Tip # 1 – A Cheaper Way To Divorce In California

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one that talks about divorce on our blogs. I think because i am. At least about how to save money on divorce and how the divorce process works in California.

I decided to do a daily or weekly tip on divorce that will talk about just about anything from home to complete forms to have to save money, etc.

Today's tip is about something we talk about fairly often, but could always use more exposure. This is about the benefits of filing a hybrid divorce. We know we are starting to get some traction and getting the word out about hybrid divorces in California because we are starting to get calls from new clients saying they watched our video and want to file a hybrid divorce.

A hybrid divorce is simply a cross between a default divorce and a divorce where your spouse filed a response. Most people (attorneys that is) will tell you that you have to file a response if you want to be involved in the case. This is not true.

Here is the definition of a hybrid divorce. “The Petitioner filed for divorce, and no response was filed. The parties will complete their financial disclosures and enter into a written agreement”.

So what the courts are telling us is that it is possible to enter into a written agreement in your divorce without having to file a response.

In all of my divorce cases, I prepare a hybrid divorce for my clients. Doing so, allows the parties to save over $400 in filing fees.

People have come to us because they don't want to spend money on attorneys fees. So obviously cost is a concern. That is why we have made a point of discussing these money savings tips about divorce and a cheaper way of getting divorced in California.

We are are a licensed and bonded legal document assistant firm headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA. We serve all the courts in Los Angeles County and California.

Please give us a call if you would like to learn more about the hybrid divorce process as a cheaper way to get divorced in California.

 

Baby Boomers Divorce Rate Now 25%

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

A Recent article in the Los Angeles Times now estimates that the baby boomer generation divorce rate is now at 25%, up from 10%.

What is being called a “Gray Divorce Boom” is being led by baby boomers once again. Most of us are keenly aware of how this huge population of people have effected the economy throughout history.

Now they are creating a boom in divorce.

Working with people who are going through divorce everyday, I can attest that we get our fair share of baby boomers coming through our doors. In fact, I would say it represents closer to 40% of our clients, not just 25%.

But what explains this increase in this older folks getting divorced? Is it the change in how we look at divorce overall as a culture?

I am in my 40's and my parents never divorced. My friends parents did not divorce, at least that i can recall. So divorce was just something that was not as prevalent as it is today. It has become the, “well, everyone else is doing it” scene.

We never make is our business why someone decides to get divorced. Getting divorced is a personal decision and only you know what is best. We are not here to judge, rather if you have made the decision to get divorced, we simply want to make the divorce process as simple and smooth as possible.

If you are a baby boomer or fall in this “gray divorce boom” you are obviously not alone. The divorce rate is climbing every year and is impacting all ages and generations.

For there to be this drastic of an uptick in divorce, one must conclude that there has been a dramatic shift in how our culture looks at divorce and marriage. Perhaps folks stayed in marriages due to social pressures as getting divorced in the past was not as prevalent.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation firms specializing in divorce. We are headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA and serve all of Los Angeles County.

Do You Have A Short Term Marriage – Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Over the years, I have helped people that have been married for only a few weeks to folks who have been married almost 50 years. Is divorce any different for short term marriages? The answer is a resounding yes and no.

For the most part, there is no difference in the actual divorce process. Regardless of how long or how short your marriage was, the process and forms that are necessary to complete to get divorced are the same.

For instance, you still have to file for divorce. You have to complete a summons and petition no matter what the length of marriage is.

The main difference in a short term marriage is mostly about how much community property is involved. Just as a brief recap, community property is that which you accumulated during the marriage and separate property is that which you had before marriage.

So lets say you were only married for 6 months. The assets and debts you accumulated during those six months would be subject to being divided. The assets and debts you accumulated during those 6 months are going to be much less than say someone married for 20 years.

But what about that home you owned before marriage? Does your spouse have any right to your home? This is where we separate what is law and what makes sense. Should your spouse have any right to your home you owned before you were married if you were only married for 6 months? I don't think so.

Short term marriages, defined by the courts as anything less than 10 years, have some different rules surrounding things such as spousal support as well.

So there are some differences between a short term marriage and long term marriage as far as certain financial aspects, but the process, forms and procedure of getting divorced never change.

A short term marriage, you could say, may be slightly easier as there is less assets and debts to divide and list on the final judgment.

There is no shame in ending a short term marriage. Sometimes you just grow apart or were never meant to be. If you gave it your best shot and it makes sense to get divorced, then it is what it is.

What I tell people is that they are not setting any records by only being married a short time. We have seen it all.

How Can I Determine If Spouse Filed For Divorce | Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

I was asked this question over the weekend.  “How can I determine if my spouse has filed for divorce?” If you have not been served divorce papers yet, how do you know if a divorce case has been filed.  I thought this was a good question.

There are a couple of reasons why someone would want to find out if their spouse had filed for divorce.  Perhaps, your spouse has indicated that they filed or are going to file, but you have not been served any divorce papers yet.  You might be feeling that they are delaying and you plan on filing if they have not yet.

Another reason you might be trying to see if your spouse filed for divorce is out of plain curiosity.  Perhaps the two of you have been having disputes and you have a feeling that your spouse filed for divorce, but your not sure.

Regardless of your reasons for wanting to determine if your spouse filed for divorce, there is only one way to do this.

There is no public database that you can access from your home computer that will let you know if your spouse has filed for divorce.  The only way to check from home is if you have a case number.  Obviously, we do not have a case number in this scenario.

So what you would have to do then i go down to the actual courthouse.  You can go to the local courthouse and have the clerk search by name and date of birth for your name or your spouses name to see if they have filed for divorce.

In Los Angeles County, the family law clerks office has a computer available for public use where you can access the files and search for yourself.

Once you locate the name you are looking for, you can see what the case number is.  Once you have the case number you can use that to access the online case summary off the court website from any computer.

Keep in mind that there is a delay from the time the case is filed until the time it shows up in the courts computer system.

 

Keeping Santa Clarita Updated About Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

The divorce process is confusing for most, we know that. That is why we are constantly keeping Santa Clarita updated about divorce.

On our blogs and websites, we write daily articles about some part of the divorce process. Sometimes we write multiple articles a day. It just depends on what happened recently in our business that inspires us to write and discuss specifics related to divorce.

Whenever we come across a questions we have been asked that we have not answered, we will often write about them so folks can find the answers online.

In addition to our blogs, we also upload at least one video per day that discusses divorce. This may be about how to complete certain forms or about a specific process. We plan on consistently producing videos that are helpful to folks attempting to learn about the divorce process.

So we have talked about our blogs, websites and videos. Did you also know we do a daily podcast? Yep, we also have a daily podcast where we discuss some of the issues people are running into when going through divorce.

We figure by having multiple channels for people to find out about divorce, we not only establish ourselves as the leader in divorce legal services in Santa Clarita but also provide a hub for information with multiple ways to get information.

If you are going through divorce or considering getting divorced in Los Angeles County, make sure to spend some quality time on our blogs, websites, watching videos and listening to our podcasts. There is a wealth of information out there and it is good to be informed.

As always, if you have a question you cannot find the answer to, simply ask us on our home page and we will make sure to answer it for you.

We are licensed and bonded divorce legal service in Los Angeles, CA. We are located in Santa Clarita and specialize in divorce in all of LA County Courts.

Don’t File A Summary Divorce – Los Angeles Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

I keep reading articles and watching videos from companies who say that summary divorce is the way to go. The fact of the matter is that you don't want to file for a summary divorce. I am going to tell you why.

But first, let's talk about why others in the industry say it is the way to go. Others will tell you that it is an easier way of getting divorced. That there is less paperwork, and it is a faster process. I totally disagree with this assessment.

The paperwork you need to complete in a summary divorce is no less than a regular divorce. The paperwork is just different. The paperwork is not any easier either. If you have never completed any of the divorce paperwork before, either way is going to be just as confusing and difficult.

And here is the kicker….

SUMMARY DIVORCE IS TWICE AS EXPENSIVE

That's right. Summary divorce is going to cost you twice as much money to file as it will if you just do a standard divorce.

Why? Because a summary divorce is what is considered a “Joint Petition”. This means that both of you are the Petitioner. You have Petitioner #1 and Petitioner #2. This is instead of there being a Petitioner and Respondent.

On the summary divorce, because it is a joint petition, YOU BOTH HAVE TO PAY THE FILING FEE!

This means that instead of paying the $435 filing fee, you now have to pay $870!

This is not the case on a standard divorce. In a regular divorce, only one party has to pay the filing fee. The other party will simply not file a response and not have to pay the filing fee.

If you were going to file a summary divorce, you know you have to be in total agreement from the beginning. If you are in agreement to get divorced and to the terms of the divorce, you can decide who is going to file and who will not respond and default.

It is called a hybrid divorce which simply means that one party filed, the other party did not respond, but you are proceeding by agreement and both parties will sign the judgment.

For more information about hybrid divorce cases, you can search our site or check out our youtube channel where we cover it in great detail.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation firms that specializes in divorce in Los Angeles County. We are headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA and serve all the courts in Los Angeles.

 

Do You Qualify For A Fee Waiver – Los Angeles Divorce Service

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

People are thrilled to learn that there is an affordable divorce service in Santa Clarita. Then, once they get started working with us realize how much value there really is when working with us.

This past Friday we started working with a new client that was looking for an affordable way to get divorced. She did not have a lot of money and was on a fixed income.

When people tell us this, we make sure to tell them that they can always use the courts self help center. When we advised her of this, she said she was aware of the courts self help center and did not want to stand in line all day to get help.

When folks tell us they are on fixed income, one of the first things we want to figure out is if they qualify for a fee waiver of the court fees. In certain circumstances, you can qualify for a fee waiver.

If you are unemployed or are making less than the prescribed amount of money per month listed on the fee waiver application, you can request the court sign a fee waiver which will save you the cost of the filing fee.

The filing fee for divorce in Los Angeles County is currently $435 so it is well worth your time to at least fill out the fee waiver and see if the judge will sign off on it.

In this case, we prepared the fee waiver form for her along with all her divorce forms. Normally, we will file all the new cases, but when a fee waiver is involved, the client must go down to court to file because the judge normally wants to speak to you.

We told here where to go in the court and who to talk to. When she called us she was excited to tell us that the court had approved her fee waiver. Yep, she just saved $435 dollars which almost covered her entire cost of working with us!

When going through divorce it is important that you work with a company that is experienced in the divorce process. I am certain, had this client attempt the divorce process alone or use a service who did not know how divorce works, she would have ended up paying that $435 filing fee.

We specialize i divorce in Los Angeles County and are heaquartered in Santa Clarita, CA. You can reach us at 661-281-0266.

More California Divorce Cases Being Rejected

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

We are starting to see more divorce cases in California being rejected by the courts. This is especially true in Los Angeles County.

The divorce courts use a checklist of items they can reject your case for and is 3 pages long. We are actually considering preparing a video on each of the reasons your case can be rejected so you can avoid having this happen to you or fix it if it has.

Sometimes the divorce cases are rejected for good cause. Meaning you forgot to include a necessary page or used the wrong language or forgot to check mark a box you were supposed to.

But now, we are seeing more random reasons for rejection. Most recently we had a case rejected and the clerk requested that the papers be collated. Collated? Really?

On another case, the case was rejected because the documents were not in the correct order. You will note that the court does not tell anyone what order the forms should be in. And in fact, the order can vary depending on who is reviewing the judgments.

I have some inside knowledge of how these divorce judgments are reviewed, because i am often the one down at court reviewing them. I have been an intern and volunteer my time at the courts to make sure i am always up to date with any changes.

I can tell you that the issue with collating and putting the judgment in a certain order is something new.

I honestly believe that the courts are so overwhelmed that they are just looking for any reason to reject your judgment. If the judgment is submitted in an unorganized fashion, they will just reject it instead of reorganizing it for you.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation firm that specializes in divorce. We are headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA and serve all the courts in Los Angeles, California.

 

Santa Clarita Valley Divorce Center

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

We are your Santa Clarita valley divorce center serving all of Santa Clarita Valley.

Our divorce center in Santa Clarita does more than just provide legal document preparation services related to divorce. We provide you with all the information about divorce forms, the divorce process and even guide you on how to use the courts free services and set up appointments with you.

We have a complete understanding of how the courts work. This is because we have worked for the divorce courts for several years and, to this day, continue to volunteer with the Los Angeles Superior Courts as paralegal interns.

I will tell you, that you just can't get type of experience in family law if you don't work at the courts. We are the only divorce center in Los Angeles County who specializes in divorce and has this amount of legal expertise as it relates to divorce and the divorce process.

We can handle most any type of divorce case in the Santa Clarita Valley. We are not limited by complex cases or cases where you might need to meet with a mediator or get legal assistance.

We have an ever growing network of legal professionals such as attorneys, mediators, counsellors, facilitators and other professionals you may need to speak to during your divorce.

We are your one stop Santa Clarita Valley divorce center stop. When you call or meet with us, you will understand the type of experience we have and the amount of expertise in divorce we have.

We look forward to serving your needs in divorce in Santa Clarita.

We are a full service divorce center providing a variety of family law services such as:

  • Divorce
  • Separation
  • Paralegal Services
  • Child Support
  • Spousal Support
  • Modifications
  • Parentage
  • Motions
  • Request For Orders
  • Order To Show Cause
  • Declarations
  • and much more….

 

Getting Couples To Work Together During Divorce In Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

One of the most important aspects of my business is to help divorcing couples work together. Impossible? No. It just takes a little work on everyones part.

Case in point. I received a call from new client who lives out of state. He is in the military and is stationed away from his home town state.

His wife filed for divorce and mailed the divorce documents to him. He read the summons that said he had 30 days to respond and panicked because there was only 4 days left, based upon the date of the court stamp on the forms.

He called a local attorney in Santa Clarita and paid $200 for an over the phone consultation. While he was waiting for his appointment, he was doing some more research online and found our company and gave us a call.

When he called, one of his first concerns was that he needed to respond by the 30 days. But my first issue was in how he was served. He had stated that his wife mailed the forms to him. There is a specific procedure to divorce and mailing the summons and petition does not conform to policy. The first documents served must be personally served in most cases.

Once we discussed that, i pointed out that he had more time because technically he had not been served yet.

But most importantly was to get him and his wife to work together on this as best as possible. It was apparent that they were not communicating too much which can definitely compound the problems.

So what I did was indicate that the best course of action would be to get his wife on board with having me coordinate the events of the divorce so the process can progress smoothly through the court system.

He agreed, and as of this writing, am waiting for his wife to reach out to me. We just spoke yesterday evening, so i am expecting her call today.

The goal here is to work with both spouses, to explain the process and procedure of getting divorced and keep the working together as best as possible.

At the end of the day, he was able to get a refund from the attorney for the consultation he had paid for after realizing he did not need an attorney to get divorced in his case.