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.

 

Why Summary Dissolution Is Not Right For You | California Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Why Summary Dissolution Is Not Right For You | California Divorce

Have you heard of a Summary Divorce?  It is often touted as an easy way to get divorced if you qualify.   It is also referred to as a cheaper way of getting divorced.  Neither of these statements are true.

We have covered what the qualifications are to using a summary divorce in other articles.  We are not going to cover those again here.  What we are going to do is discuss why using a summary dissolution is not right for you, even if you qualify.

First, let’s talk about the paperwork.  The divorce forms in a summary dissolution are not any easier for you if you are not familiar with how divorce works in the first place.  So if you are thinking about completing your own divorce, it is going to be just as confusing and difficult either way.

The next myth is that the summary dissolution process is less expensive.  In fact, the summary divorce is actually twice as expensive!  How is this, you say?  If you look at a normal divorce petition, there is only one Petitioner.   When the Petitioner files for divorce, he or she will pay the filing fee.  The filing fee in LA County is $435 and most of California follows suit or is higher.

The summary dissolution is actually called, “Joint Petition For Summary Dissolution”.  Joint as in both of you are Petitioner’s.  Joint as in both of you are going to pay a filing fee!

Yes, you heard that right.  If you file for summary dissolution, both you and your spouse have to pay a filing fee.  That just doubled your costs.

With a regular default case or hybrid style divorce, you are going to pay only one filing fee.  That is because in a hybrid or default, the other party does not file a response.

Don’t fall prey to being convinced to  use a summary dissolution.  I got a call yesterday from a client who stated he wanted to file a summary dissolution and had read up on it.  He had no idea it was going to cost him twice as much.

We specialize in California divorce and can assist you with preparing your divorce forms at an affordable price.

Should I Speak With My Spouse During Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Should I Speak With My Spouse During Divorce

Not all divorces start out amicably and no divorce is going to be completely easy. It is normal to not want to discuss the issues with your spouse.

But communication is key if you ever expect to get through your divorce. How else are you going to resolve your issues if you are not speaking to each other?

I know it might be easier to ignore and avoid dealing with what is happening, but things will only get worse if you don’t communicate with your spouse during divorce. It is very much like a toothache. Ignore it and it will always get worse and cost you more money.

I have a client who falls into this category. He just wants to get divorced without speaking to his wife. His wife has been reaching out to him in an attempt to discuss the issues, but he has refused to communicate with her. Going as far as changing his cell phone number.

He asked me if he should be speaking to her and that she said unless he does, she will be forced to hire an attorney.

As I am saying in this article, I told him that communication is important if he expects to get through the divorce process. Furthermore, if he does not speak to her, what other choice does she have but to hire an attorney who will communicate for her.

I know it is not easy, but unless you communicate with your spouse during divorce things will only get worse.

In this case, if the wife hires an attorney, not only will the divorce end up costing them a bundle of money, but it will most certainly muddy the relationship further and make coming to a compromise on the issues of their divorce that much more difficult.

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