Valencia Divorce : No Fault Divorce Means It Does Not Matter The Reason

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

It is a well known fact that in California, it does not matter who the wrong-doer is, if there is one, and the court’s do not care who did what or what the cause of the divorce is. I know that it is insensitive to say that, but nobody cares why you are getting divorce.

It is not that nobody cares, in that sense, but that it makes no difference with the outcome of your divorce who did what and does not matter who files for divorce.

(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.)

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There are some clients of ours that despite the fact that it does not matter who did what to cause the divorce, that people still feel principled in who files for divorce.

First, let me say that it does not matter who files for divorce first. It does not matter. I don’t care what a divorce attorney told you. If a divorce attorney is telling you that you should be the first to file for divorce, you can bet that they are trying to find a way to make you retain them by putting pressure on you to file. (okay, got that out of my system)

So it does not matter who files for divorce. But (getting back to my point) some people feel that if the other spouse did something wrong, that they want to be the one to file the divorce case. As if they are filing against them because they were in the right and the other person did them wrong.

I hope I am explaining that right. Let me try to be clear here. Even if you feel that you are the one that your spouse wronged, you may feel that you need to be the one to file for divorce first because you were wronged, but it does not matter. Despite this being the case, there are those that want the feeling of “I was the one that filed for divorce” and not my spouse.

While this is fine, and again, does not make any difference, hopefully you will be able to put this emotion behind shortly thereafter so that you and your spouse can get through the divorce process amicable and without having to hire attorneys for your divorce just because you are emotional and mad at your spouse.

Help Filing Uncontested Divorce In Granada Hills

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Help Filing Uncontested Divorce In Granada Hills

We are a full service divorce paralegal firm specializing in divorce and serving the city of Granada Hills. Our full service Granada Hills Uncontested Divorce paralegal service takes care of your entire divorce from start to finish. Our Granada Hills Uncontested divorce paralegal service is flat-fee based so you don’t have to worry about hourly fees and high costs.

In this video we discuss what an uncontested divorce is and how we can help with your uncontested divorce case in Granada Hills.

Watch the short video below to learn more about Help Filing Uncontested Divorce In Granada Hills

 

 

 

Help Filing Uncontested Divorce In Granada Hills

We are a full service divorce paralegal firm specializing in divorce and serving the city of Granada Hills. Our full service Granada Hills Uncontested Divorce paralegal service takes care of your entire divorce from start to finish. Our Granada Hills Uncontested divorce paralegal service is flat-fee based so you don’t have to worry about hourly fees and high costs.

In this video we discuss what an uncontested divorce is and how we can help with your uncontested divorce case in Granada Hills.

Watch the short video below to learn more abou tHelp Filing Uncontested Divorce In Granada Hills  

020: Types Of California Divorce And How To Save Money On Divorce (Podcast)

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

In this episode, we’re going to be talking about the four different ways you can get through your divorce in California. And we’re basically talking about the different ways of moving through the process with the paperwork specifically because there are different ways you can do this.

What we’re going to be talking about specifically is the difference between what’s called a default divorce, a contested divorce and uncontested divorce and what the courts use and what they call a hybrid which is a combination of a true default and uncontested divorce case.

Make sure to listen to the latest podcast.

What Is An Uncontested Divorce Case | Santa Clarita Divorce Help

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

What Is An Uncontested Divorce Case | Santa Clarita Divorce Help

Hi! My name is Tim Blankenship, owner of SCV Legal Doc Assist here in Santa Clarita. We’re licensed and bonded legal document preparation service and we specialize in the divorce process serving all of California.

Today we’re talking about what is an uncontested divorce. So, what I am going to do is take you to the court website and let you know what they’re telling us an uncontested divorce is, reference in the paperwork that has been processed.

So an uncontested case, is where you have filed for divorce and your spouse has responded by filing a response and you have or are going to enter into a written agreement..  That is really it.

Here is what the Court website says about what an uncontested divorce case is:

  • Your spouse or domestic partner filed a response to your summons and petition;
    AND

  • The two of you have a written agreement about your divorce or separation, dividing your property and debt, child custody and visitation, and support issues.

So in short, an uncontested divorce simply means you did not go before the judge and have a trial.

So anything short of having a trial means you have an uncontested divorce especially if you’re in agreement, there’s been either a summon and petition or just a petition filed not necessarily a response and the most important part is that you’ve entered into a written agreement and you did not have the trial.

We specialize in uncontested divorce cases, amicable divorce cases or any divorce where you and your spouse are going to try to work out the details of your divorce together and need someone like us for information and to process your divorce paperwork to make sure it was done correctly.

Again, my name is Tim Blankenship, owner of SCV Legal Doc Assist. If you’re looking for an affordable and professional way to get through the divorce process at a flat rate, please give us a call or visit our website for more information. Thank you.

How To Keep Your Divorce Amicable – Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

How To Keep Your Divorce Amicable – Santa Clarita

There are lots of benefits of having an amicable divorce in Santa Clarita. Probably the biggest advantage is cost. With an amicable divorce, you don’t need to hire an attorney which will save you a ton of money.

There are some things you can do to help keep your divorce amicable throughout the process. The common theme throughout this will be communication.

First, prior to filing for divorce it is a good idea that you try to discuss getting divorced. Try to have a few conversations with your spouse and come up with a plan. Those with a plan of action fare much better.

This means deciding on when to file, who is going to file and agreeing on a divorce document preparation company like us to meet with.

One or both of you can meet with us to make sure you are comfortable using our service. When you meet with us, we will explain the divorce process in full so both parties understand exactly what to expect throughout the process.

The next thing to do to keep your divorce amicable is to avoid hiring a process server. Nobody like having some stranger walk up to them and be handed divorce papers and told they are being served. We can help you avoid having to do this. In fact, you could simply have the spouse that needs to be served come to our office and pick up the documents. We will complete the necessary forms to tell the court that service was completed.

Most issues that come up will be about custody and visitation of children or about money. We will show you how to use the courts free services to help you understand the law so you can make decisions on any issues that you are having trouble coming to an agreement on.

Using the ideas in the article will help keep your divorce amicable. Give us a call so we can come up with a plan for you to keep things running smooth during your divorce.

Getting Divorced And Spouse Avoiding Service Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Getting Divorced And Spouse Avoiding Service Santa Clarita

It only takes one to get divorce and there is nothing your spouse can do to top you. But they can make it more difficult.

In most cases getting the other spouse served the divorce papers is a non issue. You either hire a process server or mail the forms following the guidelines on doing so.

But sometimes the process is not so smooth when a spouse wants to play games or be difficult. The issue with delaying the process of service is that you cannot move on until they are served.

I have two such cases currently. The first is a young couple who’s husband is playing cat and mouse with the process server. He was told wife was filing and for unknown reasons is avoiding being served.

All this is causing is a delay in the case and costing his wife more money because the process server is spending a lot more time trying to serve him. They now have to sit outside the home and conduct surveillance and get him somewhere between the front door of the house and the car.

They have already been to the home several times and he lives with room mates. He does not come to the door and they can tell they have been instructed to tell him that the husband is not home.

In the other case, the wife is being difficult in being served. The process server waits outside the house for her to come home from work. She knows there is someone waiting to serve her so pulls into the garage and closes the door.

Again, all that happens is more time is spent trying to serve her. Because she is doing this, husband decided to serve her at work which will cause her a bit of embarrassment.

When you work with us we try to keep everything going smoothly and explain the process in detail so you understand the divorce process. We try to avoid having these contentious issues in the beginning or at all for that matter.

Do You Need A Process Server For Your Santa Clarita Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Do You Need A Process Server For Your Santa Clarita Divorce

There are some misunderstandings about if you need a process server for your divorce. The reason is because the answer is yes and no and depends on the circumstances. We will explain here.

Normally, the first paper that is filed on your spouse needs to be done by personal service. This would mean hiring a process server or having someone over the age of 18 who is not involved in the case serve your papers.

For instance, if you were the one to file for divorce, you would have to have them served personally. It can even be a family member. One of my clients recently had their adult child hand her dad the papers. This was obviously an amicable divorce situation where everyone was on board.

But there are times where you can simply mail the initial divorce forms to your spouse. When possible, this is my preferred method of serving divorce papers.

There is a form you can use to send the initial divorce documents to your spouse. It is called a notice of acknowledgement of receipt. You have to mail it with 2 copies and have to make sure to check the boxes that says you are serving the summons and petition and any other forms you happen to be mailing to the respondent.

When you use this form, you still have to have to complete a proof of service of summons. This is another area i see where people have issues.

When you mail the initial documents using the notice of acknowledgment of receipt, you need to also complete the proof of service and file both forms with the court. You will check the box that says you used this form and complied with the rules when doing so.

We are a licensed and bonded legal document preparation company that specializes in divorce.

 

Would You Go On Vacation To Get Divorced

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Would You Go On Vacation To Get Divorced

People come up with some pretty crazy ideas in business sometimes to stand out from the crowd.   I listened to a Podcast today of an attorney who helps people get divorced through mediation.  But with one twist.  They go on vacation to a destination of their choice to complete their divorce.

The attorney Tracey Rosswurm out of Fort Wayne, Indiana says this is a  cost effective way to get through the divorce process.  At the very least it is getting her some attention.  Heck, she was interviewed by a radio show and now I am writing about it.

Here is how it works.  The couples decide that they would rather mediate their divorce rather than going to court.  They decide on a destination that they would enjoy and go there along with the attorney.

The idea is that you are in a nice place without the daily distractions of life.  You can focus on the issues of the divorce at hand and there is nowhere to go.

So what about the  cost.  The attorney says that the costs of the “destination divorce” is much less than that of going to court.  That would be true if the divorce ever ended up in court in the first place.  But certainly, mediation is more cost effective than both spouses hiring an attorney.

I think there will only be a few people that would choose to do this.  It is hard for me to wrap my head around this idea.  If I were going through a divorce, I would not want to ruin some vacation destination that I love by leaving memories of being there for finalizing a divorce.

I would love to hear your comments on this.  Would you go on vacation to get  divorced?  Do you think this is a sustainable business model or a short lived marketing ploy?

 

Another Post Judgment Child Support Motion In Central District

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Another Post Judgment Child Support Motion In Central District

As legal document assistants we are authorized to work directly for folks in preparing their legal documents.  And lately we have been seeing a huge increase in post judgment motions being filed .

This particular motion is asking for a modification of child support and they want the other party to pay for their attorney fees.

The motion that was filed was a request for more child support and stated that the father was now making more money.  In most cases, you file a motion to modify child support if there is a change in circumstance such as a parent making more or less money.

In this case, the mother stated that father was making more money now and wanted the Court to order higher child support based on the guideline child support limits  and that she was earning less money.

It all comes down to how much the parties make and how much custody and visitation each of them have.  The problem sometimes is determining how much the parties truly make, especially when they own a business and are not receiving a paycheck that can be verified.

This motion also asked for the other party to pay for attorneys fees.  That never rubbed my right.  Tell me what you think about this.

A spouse hires an attorney to modify child support.  She works and had access to funds, but because father makes more money, makes a request in the motion that the husband is to pay for all her attorney fees.  If this motion is granted, then the husband has to pay for his wife’s attorney to file a motion against him.  And just to rub salt in the wound, he is not hiring an attorney himself.  He is going to have us prepare our firm prepare the response so he does not have to pay for an attorney he can’t afford.

We specialize in helping folks get through their divorce including preparing post judgment request for orders and motions.  We are headquartered in Santa Clarita and we serve all of Los Angeles County and all the Courts.

Cost Of Divorce Attorneys Unaffordable For Many In Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Cost Of Divorce Attorneys Unaffordable For Many In Santa Clarita

It’s a fact.  Many people cannot afford the cost of an attorney for their divorce.  Either they don’t have the money or, if they do, are not willing to spend it to get divorced.  That is where our divorce legal document assistance comes into play.

Here is an example of a client that, but for our service, would have been left to figure things out on his own.

A client was recently served with a Request For Order with the mom asking to move away with their child to another state.  He called me to see what we could do for him.  I advised him we would help him prepare a response to the motion along with a declaration, etc.

In his email to me, explaining what he wanted to address on the declaration, he asked me if I thought he would be okay representing himself.  I answered him honestly.  I told him that many people represent themselves.  I told him that because the mom had an attorney, he may be at a disadvantage in his case.

Then I answered his question with a question.  I asked him if he could afford to pay $5,000 to $7,500 for an attorney to prepare his response and represent him at the court hearing.  He replied that he could not afford to pay that much money for an attorney.

And sometimes that is all it comes down to.  Of course, everyone would love to use an attorney for their divorce case if it was affordable.  But it isn’t.  In fact, because attorneys are seeing less and less clients these days, they are actually raising their hourly billing rates to make more off the clients that they do have.

Yes, gone are the days of refinancing our homes to pay for everything.  Cars, toys and even divorce.  Now we feel the pain of that big purchase, going further into debt to pay for the things we don’t really need.

The cost of divorce attorneys in Santa Clarita are unaffordable for many, but there is help out there and we are it.  We are licensed and bonded in the County of Los Angeles to provide legal document assistance.  We specialize in divorce and can provide you with a complete understanding of the divorce process and help you with most family law related matters.  Give us a call for more information.