Valencia Divorce : A Better Way To Serve Divorce Documents

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

We are all about amicable divorce cases in California. So it would make sense that we advocate better ways to do things, especially ones that save you money and help keep your case amicable.

In this article we are talking about better ways of serving your divorce papers. What we are discussing is the process of service. This is when you file your divorce case, namely the Summons and Petition) that after it has been filed, it needs to be served. Most will tell you that it HAS TO BE PERSONALLY SERVED. This is not always the case. And in fact, if you are using our company for your divorce, we will be talking about a better way to serve, which is by mail.

(By the way, we provide a full service divorce solution throughout California. If you are looking to get a divorce and would like assistance, please give us a call for a free phone consultation at 661-281-0266. We have a full service and self-help service.)

Click Here to learn more about our full service divorce
Click here to learn more about our do-it-yourself divorce

What we are referring to here is a little known form called a Notice of Acknowledgment of Receipt. It is a form that allows the spouse being served to accept being served… to acknowledge receiving a copy of the summons and petition, without the need for a 3rd party process server to chase them down and knock on their home or work door and be embarrassed.

Now you still need to have a 3rd party (friend, relative over 18 years old) be the one to mail the forms along with the acknowledgment to your spouse. The notice of acknowledgment is then filed with the court along with a proof of service that specifies how it was served.

How To Serve Your California Divorce Forms | Personal Service & Mail Service

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

One of the biggest misunderstandings and questions I get is about how and who can serve the divorce papers if you are divorcing in California.

We will discuss the process of service in this post and have also included a video of the different types of mail service and personal service and who can serve which forms.

Watch this brief video about serving divorce papers or continue reading below.

In the video we discuss who can file your divorce forms and how to file the proof of service forms.

Remember, that the initial divorce forms (summons and petition) have to be personally served.  They have to be personally served by someone over 18 and cannot be you.

The video above will walk you through how to fill out the California divorce proof of service of summons (personal service form).

There is a way that you can mail your initial divorce forms to your spouse as well.  Again, it cannot be done by you.  So you will have to have someone mail the divorce summons and petition to your spouse.  You need to complete and include a notice of acknowledgment of receipt form FL-117.  You spouse, once received, will have to sign the form which acknowledges that they have received the divorce papers.

When they mail it back to you, you will then complete the proof of service of summons and attach the notice of acknowledgment of receipt.  Both need to be filed together with the court at the same time.  Make sure to check the appropriate boxes on the proof of service of summons.

We are a divorce legal service that specializes in the divorce process.  We are headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA and serve all the courts in Los Angeles County.  Regardless of where you live in Los Angeles, we can help you.

We have the divorce process down to a science and and help many clients who do not want to drive to our office by assisting them via phone, fax and email.

Please give us a call at 661-281-0266 and we can discuss your specific divorce case and let you know how we can help you.