Representing Yourself In Spousal Support Hearing | Santa Clarita
We help a lot of clients who are representing themselves in all aspects of divorce. This includes helping them prepare motions for spousal support either during the divorce so they can get some temporary orders for spousal support or post judgment.
I client of ours just went to court and I thought I would share her experiences so you can have an idea of what to expect if you have to go to court to represent yourself during a hearing for spousal support or any other type of hearing.
For this particular client, we had already filed the divorce papers and know she wanted to ask the court to order spousal support and child support because the husband refused to pay anything.
When she went to court, her husband did not show up. The judge read the motion we had prepared and asked our client a few questions to make sure that she had properly notified and served her husband. Many times when folks are representing themselves, the don’t follow proper procedure, such as failing to properly serve or file a proof of service. When this happens the Judge may refuse to make orders and assume your spouse was not properly notified.
In this particular case, because we prepared, filed and served all the necessary documents to ensure compliance with the court rules, our client was all prepared.
As the Judge reviewed her declaration she asked her a few questions to clarify what she was asking for. In the end, the Judge granted her exactly what she was asking for.
The hearing lasted all of 5 minutes. When she was done, she asked the Judge, “now what do I do”? All the Judge said was to go to the self help center if she needed further assistance. Sadly, this is the problem with the Court system. Fortunately though, she had us to assist her.
You see, getting the Judge to rule in your favor is just the first step. The next step is to prepare an Order After Hearing and follow all the guidelines associated with that.
Related: Read How To File An Order After Hearing
Unfortunately, it is still going to take some time before she receives the support ordered by the Judge.
We specialize in divorce and can help you file a motion requesting orders for a variety of issues. Give us a call so we can discuss your situation.
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