Helping People Understand The Divorce Process In California

If you are facing a divorce, you do not need to face the legal process alone. At the Auburn Law Office of Chandra E. Miller, I believe in empowering each of my clients by giving them knowledge about the divorce process. Review the following information, then contact me to learn how I can help you.

Three Phases Of The Divorce Process

My approach is to look at the California divorce process in three phases:

Phase One

Divorce begins when either spouse files a divorce petition in court. The spouse who receives personal service of the divorce petition has up to 30 days to respond by filing a response in court. The courts require that all divorces, no matter how friendly or difficult, must follow the legal process by filing their response in court. As a skilled and experienced attorney, I take great care to ensure the proper filing of all documents on time so you can proceed through the following phases.

Phase Two

In this phase, parents need to make important decisions about their children. Temporary orders will address issues of child custody and parenting time if the parents decide to live in different households. If the spouses are going to live in different households, they will need to decide who will remain in their family home. This phase also looks to stabilize finances through child support and spousal support orders.

While the divorce is ongoing, California law requires each spouse to provide voluntary disclosures about their expenses, assets, income and debts. When everything is out on the table, the parties can springboard into reaching a settlement.

Phase Three

In this last phase of resolving all disputes, permanent orders replace temporary orders. Settlement agreements become the marital settlement agreement. A marital settlement agreement is the goal of collaborative practice, mediation and litigation. However, in litigation, if parties cannot agree about the settlement terms, their divorce case will be set for a court-supervised and mandatory settlement conference and, possibly, trial.

Contact A Skilled California Divorce Lawyer Today

These phases are only a brief overview of the divorce process in this state. If you are contending with the service of a divorce petition or you are seeking to divorce your spouse, call me in Auburn at 530-377-5022 or toll free from any location at 866-679-7592. You may also send me a confidential email with your contact information.