Started My Divorce And Now Need Help | Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

If you started your own divorce and now need help, you are not alone.  Many people are convinced that they can complete the divorce process on their own.

While there are people that get through the divorce process on their own, they did not do it without facing many problems along the way.  How do I know this?  Because I have lots of people who call me who started their divorce and later found that it was not as easy a process as they thought it was going to be.

People who start their own divorce generally feel that their divorce is pretty cut and dry because they either have an agreement on the terms of the divorce or because they figure it is just a matter of filing out a bunch of forms.

While it is true that the divorce process is just filing out a bunch of forms, a large percentage of people who take on the divorce process on their own are not able to succesfully complete the divorce process without some outside assistance.

That is where we come in.  If you have started your divorce and realize that you are not going to complete it on your own, there is help.  Maybe you got in over your head and the paperwork got confusing or perhaps you got through all the paperwork, only to submit you final judgment paperwork and have it rejected by the court.  What’s worse, is that your case was rejected for forms you completed several months ago in which the clerk stamped, but did not say there was anything wrong with them.  Frustrating to say the least.

We can assist you with your div0rce regardless of where you are at in the process.  We get lots of cases every week which are at different points in the divorce process.  Some have just filed and others did all the paperwork,  but later found they had wasted their time becuase it was all incorrect.

If you need assistance, please give us a call.   We would be happy to take a look at your divorce paperwork and complete a quick review to see where you went wrong. Often, we find that the very first documents completed were wrong and need to start from the begining.  Sometimes we find that the other party was never served.  Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of it and make sure your divorce case is completed.

We are a divorce document prepa

Do You Need A Divorce Minute Order | Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

What is a divorce minute order, when will you need one and how do you get one.  All that and more is answered by the article by Tim Blankenship with https://divorce661.com and discussed in the below video.

First off, let’s talk about what a divorce minute order is. A minute order is simply the court clerks detailed notes of what happened in a hearing or trial.  So you won’t have a minute order unless you have been to court.  So if you have had a trial or hearing and need to know what orders the court made on that date, you would get a copy of the minute order.

Now, why would you need one?   Most people will never need a minute order, but there are circumstances where you will.  One such circumstance is if you go to a hearing at divorce court asking the judge to make order after you had filed a motion.  So let’s say you filed a motion for spousal support or child support, the hearing was held and the judge made orders.

If you are representing yourself, the judge may ask you to prepare what is called an Order After Hearing.  It essentially is a “Order… After… The hearing.  You have to type of the order of the court and would use the minute order to get the exact language of what the judge ordered during the hearing.  When you submit the order after hearing back to the court for the judge’s signature, they will verify the language of the order matched that of the minute order.

In the video above we go into a little more detail about how to complete the order after hearing, but that will be for another blog post and another video down the road.

Now, now to you get a minute order.  This is quite simple.  All you need to do is go to the court room your case was heard in (if it was recent) and give the court clerk the date of the hearing and request the minute order.  If it has been several weeks and there are no future hearings, your file may have made it back to the storage area, in which case you would request it from the court clerk’s office.

We specialize in divorce in Los Angeles County and are centrally located in Santa Clarita, CA.  Please give us a call if you would like to learn more about our divorce services.

Need A Divorce Attorney In Santa Clarita? Start Your Divorce With Us Anyways

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

We have been working on getting the word out that you can still use our divorce document preparation service in Santa Clarita even if you know you will later need a divorce attorney in Santa Clarita.  In fact, it might be one of the smartest decisions you make during your divorce.

You see, when you start your divorce, essentially it is simply a lot of paperwork.  I say simply, with a grain of salt.  What I mean to say is that it does not take a divorce attorney to complete these initial set of divorce documents for you.  In fact, none of the divorce documents have to be completed by a divorce attorney.   It just takes a company like us that specializes in divorce preparation to take care of it for you.

So what we want to impress upon you is two things. First, if you absolutely without a doubt will need an attorney for one reason or another, why not start the divorce with out and save a ton of money.  No need to involve an attorney from the beginning if it is just paperwork, right?   Were not saying don’t consult with an attorney, but you should understand when you need an attorney and when you don’t.

The other thing we wanted to say regarding this was to those folks who start with us and then later needed to hire an attorney.  This happens as well.  People call us and start working with our divorce service in Santa Clarita and then something goes sideways and they need an attorney.  This is okay too?

I tell people that fall into either of these two situations that even if they ultimately need a divorce attorney after using our services, they have already saved countless thousands of dollars in the process by not using a divorce attorney up to this point.  It is a win-win either way.

We are headquartered in Santa Clarita and provide a superior divorce service.  We are here to assist you with your divorce either before, during or after you have hired and attorney.  Call us for more information.

Looking For A Divorce Document Assistant In Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

If you are looking for a divorce document assistant / preparer in Santa Clarita, you have found the right company. In fact, you have found the only company in Los Angeles County that is licensed and bonded to provide legal services and who specializes only on divorce.

It just so happens that we are the only game in town if you are looking to save money on your divorce and have your divorce case and forms expertly prepared by our legal document assistants.

Folks have been flocking to our service in record numbers and not just from Santa Clarita. When people realize they can have their entire divorce case handled by company for an affordable price, they are driving in from Los Angeles, Palmdale/Lancaster, Pomona, San Fernando Valley and Ventura.

Even folks who live outside of driving range are still using our divorce service. We have a system in place that allows us to completely handle your divorce case over the phone, email and fax.

What people like is that they never have to go to court or worry about how to complete the divorce forms. We take care of all of that. We even file all your forms with the court, keep a running file and keep your case moving through the court system.

When people call us, they are amazed at how much information we provide over the phone. Some say they have called other paralegal companies and they just did not get a good feeling about them. But after talking to us, felt very comfortable saying we provided so much information that they fully understood the divorce process.

There is reason for this. We did not just decide one day to provide a divorce document preparation firm. We worked for the Los Angeles Superior Courts for several years (and still volunteer to this day). We also worked at some o LA County's largest family law firms. In addition, we only specialize in divorce cases.

If you are looking for Los Angeles County's number one divorce document assistant company, look no further.

Give us a call and we would be happy to explain our service. One call with us and you will know why people come to us to assist them with their divorce in Los Angeles.

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.

 

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.

 

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….

 

Divorce Not A Simple Open And Shut Case In Los Angeles

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

While we understand and know the divorce process inside and out, there are always cases that throw us a curveball. This just goes to show that sometimes divorce is not a simple open and shut case.

An example of this, is a client we have been helping for about 6 months. When he called us he had been working on getting divorced for about 5 years. They both had slacked off on completing the divorce, but he had found a new love and now wanted to get things finished up. (we get a lot of clients this way)

The problem was that the wife was just not as motivated to get things done. When this happens, where one spouse is not doing the necessary steps, it is just a matter of getting the court involved so the court can tell the parties what they need to do. So this is what we did.

We started off by filing a request for trial setting. This is what you do if you need to get the court involved to help move things forward. The form is filed and a court date will be set. The parties are notified of the court date. This date will be the first time you speak to a judge and he or she will see where things are at and tell the parties what is to be completed before the next hearing.

Several hearings later, we finally have the last court appearance coming up in a few weeks. The judge advised what documents were to be completed prior to the hearing.

The good news is that this last hearing should prove to be the finalization of the divorce. The judge asked that the final disclosures be completed and that the judgment forms be prepared.

When he appears at this last hearing, the judge will accept the judgment and the divorce should be completed.

When we first started with this client, it was supposed to be an easy uncontested case. It turned out not to be so easy, but we were able to get him through it.

That is our promise when you sign up to work with us. We know not every divorce case is going to be perfectly smooth. Whatever happens, we will work to get your through the process.

The reason we are able to do this is because we have worked for the court system before, specifically in divorce, and understand what has to be done to move a case forward.

Call Us When When You Need To Divorce Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Call Us When When You Need To Divorce Santa Clarita

By the time people call us to get started with their divorce, they have already spent some time on our blogs and websites learning about how we operate.

This is by design. It was our intention to put out as much information about divorce, that we would be the go-to-source for information on the internet and where people can learn about divorce for free.

When people actually pick up the phone to call us, they are generally calling us to set an appointment to get things started. That is the beauty of providing all the information on our blogs is that people are fully educated by the time they call us and are simply ready to get started with us.

So while we want you to call us when you need to get divorced, we also want you to spend some quality time on our websites and blogs and learn about the divorce process and how we can help. We have over 1000 articles published on the internet and almost 100 videos about divorce. Not to mention we also have a podcast where we broadcast live streaming audio.

We are doing anything and everything we can to get the information out there. We are one of the first to do this.

When you call us, we will answer all your questions. We understand that every circumstance and family is different and that your specific situation requires specific questions. We are always happy to discuss and provide helpful information, even if you eventually proceed without our assistance.

When you are ready to get started, please give us a call. We are not here to sell you anything. We are here to solve your problems.