Family Law Blog

The preliminary declaration of disclosure is the mandatory financial exchange in every California divorce, legal separation and nullity case. Both parties must complete and exchange detailed financial documents, and it cannot be waived. For individuals and couples in Orange County who are going through or considering divorce or another family law matter, this is where […]

The FL-300 is the California family court form used to ask the court to make, change, or enforce an order in an existing family law case. If you need a judge to do something in a pending divorce, parentage, support, or other family law matter, this is usually the form you file. People in California […]

A registered domestic partnership in California carries nearly all the same rights and obligations as marriage under state law. Ending one works largely the same way as a divorce, and the process catches people out for exactly that reason. People who registered years ago, before same sex marriage was available, sometimes assume the partnership can […]

Divorced spouses can claim Social Security benefits based on a former spouse’s earnings record if they meet the federal eligibility rules, including the 10-year marriage requirement in many cases. Many people in Orange County, California who are divorced or going through divorce do not know this, and some claim years later than they could have. […]

Filing for divorce in California without an attorney is entirely possible. The forms are free, the procedure is published, and every court has a self-help centre. Thousands of people complete an uncontested divorce this way each year. It is also possible to make an irreversible mistake, and the mistakes cluster in predictable places. This guide […]

A 50 50 custody schedule divides the child’s time equally between two homes. California has no presumption in favour of it, and courts order it where it serves the child’s best interests and where the practical conditions support it. For parents in Orange County facing a custody case or trying to understand whether equal parenting […]

California divorce records are generally public. Anyone can walk into the county court where a case was filed, ask to view the court file, and read it. For individuals and couples in Orange County dealing with divorce, custody, support, or property issues, that makes it important to know what stays open to public view, what […]

The family home is usually the largest asset in a California divorce and the one people are most attached to. In California, who keeps the house in a divorce usually depends on whether the home is marital or separate property and, just as often, whether either spouse can actually afford to keep it; in many […]

Serving divorce papers in California means having an adult who is not a party to the case deliver court-stamped copies of the petition, summons, and related documents to your spouse using a legally accepted method, such as personal service, substituted service, notice and acknowledgment of receipt, or, with court approval, service by publication. For people […]

Divorce is financially frightening in a different way when you have not earned an income for years. The immediate questions are practical: how do I pay for anything next month, and what happens to a career I set aside a decade ago. California law addresses both, and understanding what it provides makes the divorce process […]