Problems With Self Preparing Divorce Forms | Santa Clarita

There are many problems one can face when attempting to self prepare your own divorce forms.  These problems can stem from procedural issues to how to properly prepare certain forms.  Let’s discuss some of the issues.

Form Completion Problems

There are many areas you can run into trouble when completing the divorce forms.  Any little mistake will result in the form having to re redone and will ultimately end with your divorce not being able to be finalized.  There are many blanks and check boxes on the divorce forms.  Some of the choices are filled with legalese making your decision on which box to check confusing.

Admittedly, when i first started learning about family law and how to prepare divorce forms several years ago, I would often think how similar all the forms are.  Some even have similar sounding names, just to add to the confusion.  Do you really need a forms called, “Declaration Regarding Service of Declaration of Disclosure”?

Procedural Issues

Here, we are talking about which forms need to be served on your spouse, which forms only get served and not filed and what forms get filed and served.  Yes, those are the several options you have.  Each form is treated a little different and unless you deal with them day in and day out like we do, it is easy to make a mistake.

Not following proper procedure is a big issue during your divorce and can cause extensive setbacks.  If you improperly serve a form, say for instance, mailing something that should have been personally served.

These issue happen all the time.  Unfortunately, many folks go through the entire divorce process with no idea they are doing many things wrong.  Only until they attempt to submit their judgment do they realize how many problems they have caused by self preparing their own divorce.

Call us to avoid running into these types of problems when filing for divorce.  We specialize in divorce and can make the process smooth and painless.

About The 6 Month Waiting Period For Divorce | Santa Clarita

If you are trying to find the answer about how long the divorce process takes or about the 6 month waiting period, this article should help you answer the question.

There is much confusion about the 6 month waiting period for divorce in California, also known as the cooling off period.  This is the period of time the courts want to elapse before granting  a divorce to give the parties a chance to get back together.

Here are the answers to some of the questions I routinely get about the six month waiting period.

First, you do not have to finish the divorce in the 6 month period.  It is not a “finish by” date.  Some folks have used the words as if the six months is an expiration or a date by which they have to have all the forms completed.  The court does not require you to have all of your divorce forms completed within the 6 month period.

Second, you don’t have to wait six months to start completing all the divorce paperwork.  The other question I get is “Do i have to wait 6 months before I can start filing out and turning in the paperwork”?.  Again, the answer is “No”.

Third, it is okay to file all the divorce paperwork prior to the six month mark. In fact, you can even submit your final judgment for divorce prior to the 6 months.  And in fact, we usually recommend that you do so because it is taking a very long time for the courts to review judgments right now.

Fourth, the six month waiting period begins the day the Respondent was served the first divorce papers.  It does not start the day you file, that is why it is important to get the other party served so the clock starts ticking on the 6 month waiting period.

When you work with our divorce form preparation firm, we routinely prepare the divorce papers in advance of the 6 months waiting period ending including submitting the entire divorce judgement package.  This way the divorce can be completed right after the 6 month waiting period.

Don’t Forget The Family Law Case Cover Sheet When Filing For Divorce

If you are filing for divorce in Los Angeles County, you need to be aware of some of the local forms that are required only for LA County.  Specifically, the Family Law Case Cover Sheet form FAM-020.

The family law case cover sheet is a local form that is used in Los Angeles County.  It is a certificate of grounds for assignment to a district court which asks you to chose an applicable reason for choosing the district court in which you are filing your divorce papers.

Essentially, the Family Law Case Cover Sheet is used to help the court determine jurisdiction for your case.  More simply stated, they want to make sure you are in the right court.

There is very little information that you actually have to fill out.  The first section asks for the address of the Petitioner and Respondent in the divorce case.  The address is what the courts use to determine what court you should file your case in.  The courts use boundaries that establish which branch court you can file in.

The next section asks if there are any minor children involved in the  case.  If you mark “yes”, then they know to look for the additional divorce paperwork related to children when you are completing your initial filing.

The next step asks you to indicate the type of action you are filing.  In the case of divorce, you will chose the first action which says Dissolution of Marriage.  Then you have to give an applicable reason why you are choosing this particular branch court.  If you are filing in a Branch court, which is anywhere other than Central District) you can simply circle reason 2 indicating that you live within the boundaries of the district.

The last section you will complete is section 4.  All you have to do here is list the name of the district court you are filing in.  For instance, if you are filing in the San Fernando District Court, you would write, North Valley as that is the name of the court.  You can find the district names of the courts on the court websites.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation firm that specializes in divorce in California.  Please give us a call for more information about our services.  We are headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA and provide service throughout California.

Do You Need A Spousal Support Order | Santa Clarita

One of the services we provide is helping clients either file a motion for spousal support or respond to a request for order for spousal support.  We have been very successful in preparing motions for spousal support and helping our clients get to court quickly.

We have helped hundreds of clients file a motion (Request For Order) for spousal support.  We prepare the entire motion which includes the application, declaration and attaching exhibits.

Lets talk about these in more detail.

The request for order is also known as an application.  The motion can be used for requesting orders for just about anything.  Here, we are discussing how to complete the request for order for spousal support.

On the request for order itself, we will complete all the necessary check boxes and fill in the necessary information correctly to make sure your request for order is not rejected.

The next thing we will help you do it to prepare any additional documentation that is required.  For instance, many people do not know that whenever you make a request for order that has to do with money (spousal support) you also have to include an income and expense declaration.  We will also help you to correctly prepare the income and expense declaration that gets filed with the motion.

The next thing we will help you do is draft your declaration.  This is where you tell your side of the story to convince the judge to make an order that you are requesting.  We will have you tell us the facts and then we will personally draft your declaration on the proper pleading paperwork to make it very professional.

When you prepare a declaration it is a good idea to back up your facts by using exhibits.  Exhibits are simply copies of things you would like the court  to see.  For instance, if you say your spouse makes a certain amount of money and you have proof, you should attache that proof as an exhibit.  We will help you do this.

When we are done with your motion for spousal support, you will have a completed motion, declaration along with any necessary exhibits.  We will then personally file  your motion and get you a court date.  In circumstance that require mediation prior to the hearing, we will also set that up.

Please give us a call if you need assistance preparing a motion for spousal support.  We can help you prepare a motion for spousal support during the divorce proceeding or after you have been divorced (post judgment).

Filing a motion for spousal support can be confusing.  Let the experts help you.

Cheap Divorce In Santa Clarita

No doubt, people do not want to spend a lot of money getting divorced in Santa Clarita. This is why we have our affordable divorce service.

We get lots of calls where someone has recently met with a divorce attorney in Santa Clarita and realized just how much it is going to take to get divorced in Santa Clarita by using a divorce attorney.  It is a real eye-opener to many folks.

Thankfully, we live in California where companies such as our are allowed to operate. There are only a handful of States that allow non-attorney services known as legal document assistants to assist clients directly with preparing their legal paperwork.

We just happen to decide to specialize in providing a Santa Clarita divorce service which is much cheaper than using an attorney for your divorce.

When people find out how cheap our divorce service is compared to using an attorney, they are very excited.  Especially since we prepare the divorce paperwork exactly like the attorney would have anyways.   And because we do so, if you ever need to hire an attorney for whatever reason, you are in good shape to simply move your case over with the attorney.  You won’t have to start over in the process.

We work with the local Santa Clarita divorce attorneys to make sure you get through your divorce.  Because we have worked for some of Santa Clarita’s largest divorce firms, we can refer you to an attorney if you ever need legal advice or court representation.

We also have relationships with Santa Clarita divorce mediators and family counselors.

We are your best choice in Santa Clarita for finding a divorce service that is cheaper than that of using a divorce attorney.

Give us a call to discuss the issues you are facing in regards to your divorce.  You will be pleasantly surprised to find that we can handle most divorce cases in Santa Clarita regardless of the circumstances.

Getting Divorced After Long Term Separation | Santa Clarita Divorce

I had two calls today from folks looking to finish their divorce.  One couple had been separated and living apart for over 10 years.  They were finally ready to move on with their lives and decided it was time to close this chapter in their lives when they wanted to remarry.

On another note, some folks simply don’t officially divorce due to money contraints.

If you have been separated for some time and are in a relationship that you think might turn to marriage, this would be a good time to finish your divorce.  The divorce process takes time, so make sure to get started on your divorce before you set a wedding date.

I have had one instance where we were under the gun to complete the divorce before the wedding date.  Not a good place to be.  Thinking of finishing your divorce when you should be focusing on your new bride.

There are lot’s of reasons that people don’t start or finish their divorce.  Divorce is not something that is pleasant to have to confront and sometimes it is just easier to forget and hope it goes away.  Unfortunately it doesn’t.

The other call I took today was a little different.  The clients started their divorce over 20 years ago.  They hired attorneys and went to court and  everthing.  They were under the impression that their divorce was finalized.

When one of the spouses went to submit their paperwork for their retirement, the employer advised them that they needed a copy of the divorce decree.

When the spouse went to the court to get the divorce judgment paperwork, they were advised that the divorce had not been finished.  What’s worse is because the case was so old it had been archived and they will most likely have to start the entire divorce process over.

Whats even worse than that is that one of the spouses had already re-married… And legally is not divorced.

These types of things can happen when you attempt to go through the divorce process on your own.  Divorce is confusing and stressful and mistakes can happen.

Please give us a call for help with your Santa Clarita divorce.  We can help you navigate the divorce process and pick up where you left off if you started your divorce already or have had a long period of separation.

We Don’t Agree On The Terms Of Our Divorce | Santa Clarita

Many of our clients are in the situation where they are unable to come to an agreement on the terms of their divorce.

Both parties want to get divorced, but are having trouble coming to an agreement on such things as Spousal Support, Child Custody, Child Support and other issues related to the separation of assets and debts.

While I do have clients that are completely amicable and they agree on all the terms of their divorce, the majority of divorce cases I handle do have at least some disagreement in one or more of the area indicated above.  This is something we can help you work through.

Because of our experience working with the courts, we can help you to use the courts free services to help work out some of the areas where you are having  trouble coming to an agreement.

For instance, if you are having trouble with agreeing on how much spousal support or child support should be paid, you can make an appointment with the court facilitator.  This is a lawyer working for the courts who will help you understand how child support and spousal support works and run several scenario’s on your income and child custody arrangements to help facilitate the issue.

There is no cost for using the courts services as they are all part of the original filing fee you paid initially.  While it is not mandatory that you come to an agreement, the facilitator can draw up an agreement for which can be used for the final judgment paperwork when you get to that part of the divorce.

You never know what will happen during the divorce process.  It can be entirely smooth or it can go sideways at any moment.  Regardless of what happens we can help you navigate the courts services to get assistance when you don’t agree on the terms of your divorce.