Searching for Orange County Divorce Lawyers near you
Finding divorce lawyers in Orange County CA: Divorce attorneys and family lawyers in the Orange County are here to help you to navigate the legal system when you have a family law issue. Usually, these issues involve things that can affect your everyday life: your children, your home, your safety, or your finances. The sensitive nature of family law requires a skilled attorney who can help you to make smart decisions at a very stressful time, and who can understand your situation while guiding you to make the best decisions for your family.
In Addition to Divorce, How Can my Family Law Attorney Help Me?
Family law is a practice area that covers legal issues affecting families. The biggest part of family law is divorce, but it can also include the following legal issues:
• Marriage,
• Divorce, annulment, or legal separation,
• Child support,
• Child custody,
• Child visitation (grandparents visitation and parental visitation,
• Guardianship,
• Adoption,
• Termination of parental rights,
• Paternity and parentage,
• Parental rights,
• Domestic violence, abuse, or child neglect,
• Spousal or partner support,
• Division of property and assets,
• Division of debts,
• Dependency and child neglect,
• Other issues that may affect the family.
How Can an Attorney Help With my Divorce in Southern California?
It is in your best interest to look into an attorney as soon as you decide to file for divorce, or as soon as your spouse or partner notifies you that he or she is filing for divorce. The sooner you hire an attorney, the easier it is for you to understand and take advantage of the opportunities you have to simplify your divorce, to have more control over the outcome of your divorce, to lower the cost of your divorce, or to protect the privacy of your family.
Some parts of any divorce, like the cost, the amount of time spent determining the terms of the divorce agreement, or the specifics of who gets what will depend on you. The type of divorce you choose, the way you choose to determine the terms of your divorce agreement, how long you have been married, whether you have children, your jobs, your financial situation, and more can all affect the outcome of your divorce. In order to better understand how, you should contact an Orange County divorce lawyer.
Divorce, Annulment, or Legal Separation
The three ways to end a marriage in California are through a divorce or dissolution of marriage, through an annulment, or through a legal separation.
Divorce - Filing for divorce allows you to end your marriage by changing your marital status. In a divorce, your property and debts will be divided, if you have children, you may have a child custody and visitation schedule and a child support order, and you may also have a spousal support order. There are several options when it comes to determining the terms of these orders.
Legal Separation - A legal separation does not change the marital status of the couple, but when a couple is legally separated, their property and debts will be divided, they may get a child custody and visitation order, a spousal support order, or a child support order. Couples have various reasons for choosing a legal separation, including personal or religious beliefs, trial separations, or just because they don’t yet qualify for a divorce in California.
Annulment - An annulment is when a marriage is declared legally invalid. It does not include the same divorce orders as a divorce or legal separation, and a couple must meet certain criteria to qualify for an annulment. However, an annulment can be simpler and less costly, and may fit certain religious or personal beliefs better than a divorce.
Summary Dissolution
If you and your spouse or partner qualify for a summary dissolution, this process will end in a divorce, but is one of the simplest and least expensive options for obtaining a divorce in Southern California.
Litigation vs. Alternative Dispute Resolution
If you and your spouse have decided to work together to get a divorce, you have several options for determining the terms of your divorce agreement. A divorce agreement includes orders for the division of property and debts, child support, spousal support, custody, and visitation.
Alternative Dispute Resolution - The two most common types of ADR in California divorces are mediation and collaborative divorces. These alternatives to litigation usually offer the couple more control over the outcome of the divorce and tend to be less costly than litigation.
In Mediation, the couple sits down with a third party mediator whose job it is to facilitate a productive discussion where the couple agrees on the terms of their divorce. In a collaborative divorce, each partner brings a collaborative divorce attorney, and the couple and their attorneys work out a divorce agreement together.
Litigation - When a couple cannot determine the terms of their divorce on their own, they have to go through litigation. This means that the court, and ultimately a judge, will create a divorce agreement for the couple based on California law.
Finding a Divorce Attorney in the OC for your Uncontested Divorce
The above options all assume that both parties have agreed to move forward with the divorce, and they both want a say in the terms of the divorce. However, when one party does not want a divorce, or chooses to ignore the divorce papers, the divorce is considered uncontested.
In an uncontested divorce, the couple can work out the terms of their divorce outside of the court system completely, or one party can create the terms on his or her own. Either way, the judge will likely award a default judgment, based on the divorce agreement that is submitted by the spouse who filed for divorce.
Simply ignoring divorce papers, or having a missing spouse does not mean that the divorce will not be granted, it simply means that the person who does not respond will usually not have a say in the divorce agreement.
Contact us for Finding divorce lawyers in Orange County
Each of these processes allows for various amounts of legal assistance, involvement by the couple, various costs and fees, and in some cases, different outcomes. Your Orange County divorce lawyer is here to help you understand your options and make the best decision for your family situation.
To get more information on your options and for assistance choosing the best one for you, contact the Orange County family law attorneys at Yanez & Associates today to schedule your free initial consultation.