STOP WASTING MONEY FILING A RESPONSE TO DIVORCE: Save Time and Fees by Going Straight to Judgment | Los Angeles Divorce

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Posted by Tim Blankenship on June 8, 2025

STOP WASTING MONEY FILING A RESPONSE TO DIVORCE: Save Time and Fees by Going Straight to Judgment

Divorce is often a time of emotional and financial stress. Many people caught in the process want to do everything right but also want to avoid unnecessary expenses. One common misconception is that you must always file a formal response to a divorce petition to protect your rights. However, if the divorce is amicable, this step might be unnecessary—and skipping it can save you hundreds of dollars and a lot of hassle.

As Tim Blankenship of Divorce661 points out, filing a response in an amicable divorce case can sometimes be an unnecessary cost. In this article, I’ll explain why you might want to reconsider filing a response, how you can save money and time by going straight to judgment, and what you need to know before making this decision.

Understanding the Divorce Response: What Is It and Why Do People File One?

When someone files for divorce, the other party typically has a set amount of time to file a formal response. This response is a legal document that addresses the claims made in the divorce petition and can raise any defenses or counterclaims.

Many people believe that filing a response is mandatory to protect their interests. While this is true in contentious divorces, where disputes over property, custody, or support exist, it is not always necessary in amicable cases where both parties agree on the terms.

What Does Filing a Response Cost?

Filing a response usually comes with a court fee, which varies by jurisdiction but can easily be several hundred dollars. In addition to the filing fee, there may be attorney fees if you choose to have legal representation. These costs add up quickly, especially when both parties are already under financial strain due to the separation.

Why Skip Filing a Response in Amicable Divorces?

Tim Blankenship highlights a simple but powerful strategy: if you and your spouse are amicable, there’s no reason to file a response. Instead, you can move directly to the judgment phase of the divorce process.

This approach saves you the filing fee—typically around $435—and cuts down on the time it takes to finalize the divorce.

“We have clients call all the time who say, ‘Hey Tim, I need to file a response in the next few days, but we’re amicable.’ What we do is have them retain us, skip filing the response, so they don’t have to pay that second fee, go straight to judgment, and save them time and money.”

How Does Going Straight to Judgment Work?

In an amicable divorce, both parties agree on all terms: division of property, child custody, support, and any other relevant issues. Because there is no dispute, you don’t need to engage in the back-and-forth that usually requires a formal response to the petition.

Instead, your attorney can file a request for judgment or a stipulation for judgment, which essentially tells the court that both parties agree to the terms and want the divorce finalized as soon as possible.

This method streamlines the process, reduces paperwork, and eliminates the need for a formal response document.

Benefits of Skipping the Response Filing Fee

The immediate and most obvious benefit is financial. Saving $435 (or more, depending on your jurisdiction) may not seem life-changing, but every dollar counts when you’re dealing with the expenses of divorce.

Additional Advantages

Time Savings: By skipping the response, you move faster toward final judgment, reducing the overall timeline of your divorce.
Reduced Stress: Less paperwork and fewer court appearances mean less anxiety and hassle.
Simplified Process: When both parties agree, the process should be as straightforward as possible.
Legal Guidance: Retaining an experienced attorney like Tim Blankenship ensures you still have professional help without unnecessary filings.

When Should You Definitely File a Response?

While skipping the response is a great option for amicable divorces, it’s not the right choice for everyone. If you have any disagreements about custody, property division, alimony, or other matters, filing a response is crucial to protect your rights.

Here are some scenarios where filing a response is advisable:

Disputed Custody or Visitation: If you disagree with the proposed custody arrangement, you need to file a response to present your position.
Property or Debt Disputes: When division of assets or debts is contested, a response is necessary to negotiate or litigate.
Concerns about Support: If spousal or child support terms are unclear or unfavorable, filing a response allows you to address these issues.
Protecting Legal Rights: Any disagreement or concern about the terms of the divorce means you should not skip filing a response.

How to Know If Your Divorce Is Truly Amicable

Before deciding to skip filing a response, you should honestly assess your relationship and the state of your negotiations. An amicable divorce means that both parties:

Agree on all major issues
Communicate openly and respectfully
Have reached or are close to reaching a settlement
Want to avoid unnecessary legal conflict and expense

If this describes your situation, then skipping the response filing is a smart money-saving move.

Consulting With a Divorce Attorney

Even in amicable cases, it’s wise to consult with an experienced divorce attorney. They can review your agreement, ensure your rights are protected, and handle the paperwork efficiently.

Tim Blankenship’s approach is to have clients retain legal counsel who can guide them through skipping the response and moving directly to judgment. This ensures that while you save money on filing fees, you don’t compromise on legal protection.

Steps to Skip Filing a Response and Proceed to Judgment

If you decide to follow this path, here’s a general outline of what to expect:

Retain an Attorney: Engage a divorce attorney familiar with your jurisdiction’s procedures.
Confirm Amicability: Ensure both parties agree on all terms and want to avoid filing a formal response.
Prepare Settlement Documents: Your attorney will draft the necessary agreements and stipulations.
File Request for Judgment: Instead of filing a response, your attorney files a request or stipulation for judgment with the court.
Court Review and Finalization: The court reviews the documents and, if everything is in order, issues a divorce judgment.

This streamlined process avoids the extra filing fee and expedites your divorce.

Common Questions About Skipping the Response Filing

Will skipping the response hurt my case?

If your divorce is truly amicable and you agree on all terms, skipping the response will not hurt your case. It simply means you’re not paying an unnecessary filing fee and moving faster toward finalizing the divorce.

What if my spouse changes their mind later?

If your spouse later decides to contest any terms, you may have to re-engage in the process and file appropriate responses or motions. However, if you have a solid agreement and legal counsel, this risk is minimized.

Can I still have a lawyer if I skip the response?

Absolutely. In fact, having a lawyer handle the process is highly recommended to ensure everything is done correctly without extra filings.

Conclusion: Save Money and Time by Being Strategic in Your Divorce

Divorce is never easy, but it doesn’t have to be unnecessarily expensive or drawn out. If you and your spouse are on good terms and agree on the divorce terms, you can save hundreds of dollars by skipping the response filing fee and going straight to judgment.

As Tim Blankenship advises, retaining an experienced divorce attorney to guide you through this process ensures your rights are protected while you save time and money.

Before you rush to file a response out of habit or fear, consider whether your situation truly requires it. If you’re amicable, why pay extra for paperwork that won’t benefit you? Instead, take the smart route—skip the response, retain legal counsel, and move efficiently toward a final judgment.

For those navigating divorce, this approach can make a meaningful difference in both your finances and your peace of mind.

If you want more guidance on divorce strategies and saving money during the process, consider consulting with a trusted divorce professional who understands the nuances of your local court system.

Why You Don’t Want To File Your Santa Clarita Divorce Response Form FL-120

Posted by Tim Blankenship on January 11, 2016

Okay, just so you know, i am not giving legal advice here. Just talking about ways to save money and we are talking only about Santa Clarita divorce cases which are amicable and both parties are in total agreement.

If you are in total agreement and your Santa Clarita divorce case is amicable, then filing a response is just a waste of money. People fail to realize that when they go to file their divorce Response, they are going to be require to pay the divorce court fee as well. It is just a waste of money if you are in agreement.

With our clients, we purposely don’t have the Response filed for this reason. Watch this video or listen to the podcast where I explain.

How To Prepare California Divorce Response | Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on January 23, 2014

Hi there! Tim Blankenship, owner of SCV Legal Doc Assist, we’re a licensed and bonded legal document preparation firm specializing in the divorce process.

We are licensed and bonded in the County of Los Angeles and serve all the courts in California, and we can help you regardless of your location.

If you’re looking for a paralegal type of service or a legal document preparation service to prepare your divorce forms professionally, please give us a call.

If you have not filed for divorce make sure to check out these articles and videos.

How To Prepare California Divorce Petition

How To Prepare California Divorce Summons

Now let’s talk about preparing the divorce response form. We are working on a series of how-to videos. You can find all the videos on how to prepare all the different divorce forms on our YouTube channel and on our website.

So, this article is going to discuss how to prepare the response if you have been served with divorce paperwork. What you’re going to want to file, not necessarily, we’re not attorneys, and we can’t advise you on what to do. There are ways to proceed through the divorce without filing a response, so we’re not going to get into the when-you-should or if-you-should file a response, we are not able to discuss that as a legal document preparation service—speak to a lawyer about that.

We’re just going to go through how you would file the response paperwork if that’s what you chose to do. Let’s flip over to the response paperwork, FL-120. What we’re going to do is we’re just going to go through the form and show you how you would prepare it if you were going to do this on your own.

We’ll go step-by-step. So, you’re going to complete this if you’ve been served paperwork; this will be the response to a divorce.

So we are going to say we are John Smith, we are 123 Main Street, input your city, state and zip code. Then put your phone number in here. Fax number if you want, not necessary; phone number, definitely; the courts are going to contact you, possibly. E-mail address is optional. Here you are going to put “In Pro Per”, or you can simply say “Self Represented”, either one will work. County of Los Angeles and we’re going to use our local area code, one of the branches here at 900 and Third Street.

Then you’re going to put your name here as the petitioner; actually that’s incorrect. The petitioner, if you’re filing this response, you’re going to be the respondent.

This form is very similar to the summons, so we’re going to say here in response, dissolution of marriage, we also have some other options here but we’re just talking about dissolution of marriage. This is talking about residency, if the respondent has been a resident of the state for the last six months, or you can mark both boxes, it’s up to you.

Here you put the date of marriage, date of separation, years married and months married; this gives a tally here, a total length of time of your marriage.

Here you’ll either mark if there are no minor children, or if there are, you’re going to give the name, date of birth, age, and sex.

Separate property, we’ve discussed this in the other videos; you can indicate here your separate property. If you want to know more information about what is separate property, what is community property, we will be doing a video of that as well. For purposes of this, we do use some boiler point language in here, basically that suggests that we’re going to provide this information at a later date. If we’re preparing your divorce forms for you professionally; you don’t have to worry about that we will take care of that for you.

Page 2 is going to be your community property; again like the separate property on page 1, this is the property, and you can itemize it here, or you can use the boiler point language.

There are some things in here that we don’t normally see, it may or may not apply, but then again this is just to indicate that you’re responding, that this is the dissolution of marriage based on irreconcilable difference, where it’s going to be 99% of the time.

And here you have your requests for a particular order; so if you have children, who do you want the custody be to, if you want it to be you the respondent, and make sure you remember who you are, which part you are, since we are working on the response, you’re going to be the respondent, so if we’re talking about you and the things that you want, make sure that you check the box respondent box. Of course there’s the joint box if you want the legal custody be joint, physical custody be joint, and so forth.

These boxes in here are related to other forms that are attached to the response, that are for holiday schedules, and child custody visitation schedules, and so forth; again we will be doing videos for all those down the road.

You can ask the court to terminate to the court jurisdiction and ability to award spouse support to the other party if you like. You can ask the court to make orders for property rights. And you can ask for your name to be restored to your maiden name if you like.

Don’t forget to date it, type or print your name here, and you can sign it here, and this would be the form that you would file with the court. You also want to serve a copy on your spouse; but the important thing is that you file a copy, just don’t forget to put case number.

The case number will be on the original summons and petition that you received when you were served, so don’t forget to put the case number in here otherwise the court will have difficulty in filing this form and making sure that it’s registered under your case number, so don’t forget to put that there.

Again, I am Tim Blankenship, I’m the, owner of SCV Legal Doc Assist, a licensed and bonded legal document preparation service. We service folks looking to get through your divorce process in an affordable way; those who are not using their attorneys, representing themselves, and are mostly in agreement with the divorce process.

We’re doing a series of videos here, to help folks find this information; they can self-prepare their forms, using the forms that we’re showing you on the video.

Or give us a call and if you’d like an affordable way to get your divorce process done professionally we’d be happy to help. Thanks so much .if you have any questions please give us a call or visit one of our websites.