ARE YOU READY TO FILE FOR DIVORCE IN CALIFORNIA?

When you are ready to file for divorce you must first determine if you meet the California residency requirement and file in the appropriate courthouse. Pursuant to the California Family Code an individual must have lived in California for the last six months and the county in which you file in for the last three months. If you and your spouse have relocated and now live in different counties, you can file in either of the two counties. If you do not meet the residency rules for a divorce, you can still file for a legal separation, which can be changed to a divorce at the appropriate time. California is a community property state, which means that the goal of a divorce settlement is to divide marital property in half. Under California’s community property laws, assets and debts spouses acquire during marriage belong equally to both of them, and they must divide them equally in divorce. There are three crucial steps to property division:

  • Determine whether the property (or debt) is marital property or separate property
  • Agree on a value for marital property, and
  • Decide how to divide the property.

Typically, couples will disagree on how property should be divided and children should be shared. A divorce is not always a straightforward resolution. The results of a divorce can affect you for years to come and in some cases the rest of your life. While you may be able to seek modifications to your divorce judgment down the road, it is not a guarantee and requires considerable effort. A San Diego divorce lawyer at Mellman & Mellman, LLP can help you find a resolution to a number of family law related areas such as:

  • Contested divorce
  • Uncontested divorce
  • High net worth divorce
  • Legal separation
  • Child custody
  • Property division
  • Debt division
  • Spousal support
  • Child support
  • Child visitation
  • Maintenance
  • Modifications
  • Post decree matters
  • Parentage

FREE CONSULTATION WITH SAN DIEGO DIVORCE ATTORNEYS

At Mellman & Mellman, LLP our San Diego divorce lawyers have considerable experience in family law. All of our efforts are dedicated to assist families in this contentious area of law. If you are going through a divorce contact us today for a free initial consultation. We represent clients throughout San Diego and the surrounding cities. We employ a client centered and common sense approach and attempt to cost-effectively resolve disputes. When the need arises, however, we are prepared to litigate to the fullest extent and take matters to trial. We believe that strong litigators that use the Family Code and Court to obtain favorable orders for our clients. Do not wait when it comes to your family, contact us today at 619-304-0600.  Our attorneys are available to discuss your case with you from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. during the week and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the weekends.