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Quick Start WorksheetSandy McCarthy2019-07-27T08:44:53-07:00

Quick Start Family Law Termination Interview

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  • Welcome to our Quick Start Interview Process

    This online interview will let you see how easy it is to provide our office with the required information to start your divorce, legal separation or annulment case. It's convenient and risk free. See how easy our interview is before you hire our services!

    You can even save your work-in-progress and pick up on it at a later time!
    Just click on "save and continue later" which can be found at the bottom of every page.

  • Start (or Respond to) a Divorce, Legal Separation, Annulment or Termination of Domestic Partnership

    This 10-minute Interview will show you how quick and easy it is to provide the information for your family law proceeding. No payment is required until you are ready to hire us! It's safe, secure, and easy!

    TIP: If your browser is preventing the page from scrolling down, click on a field higher up on your screen and then press your TAB button.

  • Just a reminder, this interview is set up to gather information to file, respond to, or complete a California divorce, legal separation, annulment or termination of domestic partnership. It's not designed for other family law matters such as motions, paternity matters, etc.
  • We see you aren't ready to tackle our quick and easy interview. That's OK. If you have questions before you start, give us a call at 805-648-5540. You can also hit the Save and Finish Later button at the bottom of your screen, enter your email, and someone will reach out to you to answer your questions.
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  • Your Personal Information

    The following information will be reflected on your legal documents.

    TIP: If you do not know the answer to a REQUIRED field you can enter some other text in the field that will be obvious to our staff that it is incorrect but still allow you to proceed [example SS# of spouse, you can enter 000-00-000, date of birth 00/00/00, email donot@know.com, etc]. As long as a required field has text in it, you will be able to continue through the interview.

    In addition to the underlying case, this worksheet is designed to gather needed information for a Marital Settlement Agreement. If you do not hire our office to prepare a Marital Settlement Agreement in your case, some of your answers may be unnecessary and disregarded in the final paperwork you receive.
  • This address will be reflected on your paperwork.
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  • The Other Party

    Information About Other Party

    Please provide the following information regarding your spouse/partner.
  • Please check all that apply:
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  • Details About Your Case

  • County of Jurisdiction

    Jurisdiction pertains to where your case will be filed and heard. Please provide the following information.
  • Please let us know if this is a new filing or if this is continuing an existing case with an assigned case number.
  • Please select which California county this matter is pending or will be filed in. Although cases are typically filed in the county where the Petitioner lives, in California, the case can also be filed in the county where the Respondent lives.
  • Are you the Petitioner or the Respondent? (Petitioner is party who is initiating the case.)
  • So you are the Respondent in this case. Please tell us what type of Services you need.
  • What is your court case number? This is a stamped number that should easily be located on any court-filed documents.
  • Please enter the date the Respondent was served with the Summons and Petition. This date determines the jurisdiction date for the court. For example, in a divorce, the termination date of the marriage cannot be earlier than 6 months and 1 day from the date of service. If the Respondent has NOT been served, type "not served" in the box below.
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  • Please select the relief requested (or to be requested) in the Petition filed in this case:
  • As the Respondent, do you wish to Request a different type of relief? (for example, if your spouse selected Legal Separation but you want a Divorce.) Note: this option is only available when a Petition for Legal Separation or Annulment has been filed and the responding party wants to TERMINATE the marriage. You cannot change the type of proceeding if you want a Legal Separation and your spouse filed for Divorce.
  • Please select basic for divorce or legal separation (most divorces or partnerships are terminated in California based on "irreconcilable differences".)
  • Please select basis for annulment. You must identify the statutory grounds set forth in California law in order to file an annulment. There are also statutes of limitations within which an annulment must be filed. Please make sure you qualify to file an annulment. If you do not qualify, you may need to file for a divorce.

  • Marriage Statistics

    Please provide the following details regarding your marriage or domestic partnership:
  • Please provide the date of registration of your domestic partnership.
  • Date of Separation / Domestic Partnership
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  • Other Information About Your Case

  • Please check all that are true.
  • Is either party in the military service?
  • Is either party incarcerated?
  • Booking NumberCounty of IncarcerationAddress of Jail/Prison 
  • Since you are the Petitioner in this proceeding, do you want to restore a former name?
  • As a Respondent in this proceeding, do you want to restore a former name?
  • Please indicate the name you want to revert back to (this must be a former or maiden name only)
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  • Separate Property and Division of Community Assets and Debts

    The following section will allow you to identify property issues that may need to be addressed in your proceeding.
  • Please select one of the following that best describes your circumstances:
  • Please ONLY ONE. Please note that separate property pertains to real property owned prior to the marriage or acquired or purchased after the date of separation or inherited.

  • Warning - Your answer for real property ownership above is conflicting. You have checked 1) that neither party owns real property AND 2) one or both parties own real property. Please correct your answer and select only ONE of the options above regarding real property ownership

  • Please check all that are applicable. Please note that separate property pertains to real property owned prior to the marriage or acquired or purchased after the date of separation or inherited.
  • Please identify all separate real property by address and indicate which party owns the separate property (Petitioner or Respondent) Click the + to add additional items.
    Provide Complete Address of Real PropertyWhose Separate Property is This? 
  • Since one or both of the parties own real property (either separately or jointly) we require a copy of the current Grant Deed to each piece of real property to properly identify it in the marital settlement agreement. Please upload a copy of the Grant Deed to each property you have identified above under separate or community real property. Documents with multiple pages should be uploaded in one pdf file. This system will not accept gif, png or jpg files. If you do not upload a copy of the deed, we will send you a payment request for $50 to order it through our third-party service provider. Please note that sometimes our service provider cannot provide a copy of the last title transfer. If we are not able to obtain the deed, there is a minimum service fee of $25 and we will refund the difference.
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: pdf.
  • Please identify all community real property by address and indicate which party is being awarded the property or how the property division is going to be settled. Click the + to add additional items.
    Provide Complete Address of Real PropertyDescribe Terms of Settlement 
  • Please check all that are applicable. Please note that separate property pertains to items owned prior to the marriage or acquired or purchased after the date of separation.
  • Please identify all community property household goods and to which party (Petitioner or Respondent) they are being awarded. Only identify separate assets that have a value of over $1000. Otherwise, please group items together. Click the + to add additional items.
    Description of itemAwarded to 
  • Please check all that are applicable. Please note that separate property pertains to vehicles owned prior to the marriage or acquired or purchased after the date of separation.
  • Please identify all separate property vehicles and to which party (Petitioner or Respondent) owns them. Please indicate year, make and model of vehicle and the license plate number. Click the + to add additional vehicles.
    Year of VehicleMake and ModelLicense Plate NumberWho Owns? 
  • Please identify all community property vehicles and to which party (Petitioner or Respondent) they are being awarded. Please indicate year, make and model of vehicle and the license plate number. Click the + to add additional vehicles.
    Year of VehicleMake and ModelLicense Plate NumberAwarded to 
  • Please check all that are applicable. Please note that separate property pertains to retirement benefits that were accumulated prior to the marriage or acquired after the date of separation. Any retirement benefits or funds accrued during the marriage would be considered community property.
  • Please identify all community property retirement accounts and specify how they will be divided or allocated. Participant refers to the party who accumulated the benefits. Accounts can be divided with a party receiving a specific dollar amount or a percentage. Valuation date is either date of separation or when account is segregated. Click the + to add additional retirement accounts.
    Name of ParticipantAccount NameDescribe Division of Retirement Acct.Valuation Date 
  • Please check all that are applicable. Please note that separate property pertains to retirement benefits that were accumulated prior to the marriage or acquired after the date of separation. Any retirement benefits or funds accrued during the marriage would be considered community property.
  • Please identify all other community property not covered above and specify how the property will be divided or allocated. Click the + to add additional items.
    Description of Additional Property to be DividedTerms of Settlement or Awarded to 
  • Please check all that are applicable. Please note that separate debt pertains to debts that were accumulated prior to the marriage or acquired after the date of separation. Any debts accrued during the marriage would be considered community property debts.
  • Please identify all community property debts and specify how they will be divided or allocated. Click the + to add additional accounts.
    Name of Credit Card, Bank or LenderAccount NumberBalanceYour Portion (% or $)Your Spouse's Portion (% or $) 
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  • Children of the Relationship

    Please provide the following details regarding your children:
  • ALERT: Some counties, Los Angeles County in particular, require the parties to attach a Guideline Support Report even if they are agreeing to waive child support or they agree to a specific child support order. In this regard, If you did not pre-order a Child Support Calculation Report, we will need run the Guideline Support Report in your case and process the additional cost to do so against your account. Please check authorization to run this report by clicking the box below.
  • Please indicate the number of children of this relationship:
  • Were any of your children born before you and your spouse got married?
  • Regarding children born prior to your marriage, did the father sign a voluntary declaration of paternity at the time of the child's birth?
  • Please provide information regarding the name, age and birth information of your child(ren). Click the + sign to enter additional children. ALL INFORMATION MUST BE PROVIDED!
    Complete Name of ChildSexAgeDate of BirthCity & State of Birth 
  • Please provide information regarding the addresses of your child(ren) for the past five years. Starting from most recent, Click the + sign to enter other previous address covering the previous 5 years.
    From/To Dates Ex: 1/2007-6/2012Street Address, City and State Where ResidedName of Persons lived WithRelationship 
  • What is your monthly gross income?
  • What is Other Spouse's monthly gross income?
  • Do you have information about, or have you participated as a party or as a witness or in some other capacity in another court case or custody or visitation proceeding, in California or elsewhere, concerning a child subject to this proceeding?
  • Are there any any domestic violence restraining protective orders now in effect concerning a child subject to this proceeding?
  • Please provide the details regarding other court orders or proceedings regarding the minor children. Click the + sign to add additional cases or legal proceedings.
    Type of ProceedingCase NumberCourtDate of OrderName of ChildYour Connection to CaseStatus of Case 
  • Do you know of any person who is not a party to this proceeding who has physical custody or claims to have custody of or visitation rights with any child in this case?
  • Please provide the requested information for each person that IS NOT a party to this action who has or claims to have custody or visitation rights with any child in this case.
    Full Name of PersonName of Child in this caseRights Claimed (custody or visitation) 
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  • Custody, Visitation and Child Support

    Orders Re Custody and Visitation

    Please describe how you are you spouse will be addressing the issues of child custody and visitation.
  • Legal custody pertains to the right to make choices about a child’s health, education, religious practices. A parent with sole legal custody does not have to discuss major legal decisions involving the children with the other parent.
  • Sole physical custody means that the child will live with one parent (live within their home). The non-custodial parent will usually have visitation privileges with the child.
  • Sometimes the parties can be awarded joint legal and physical custody with one parent being the primary custodial parent. The custody term “primary custodial parent” typically refers to one of the parents having the child more than 50% of the time. Custody terms such as “primary custodial parent” and “primary residence” actually have no legal meaning other than for determining tax status. Both parents still have joint custody.
  • Visitation is the award of time one or both parents have with their minor child. For couples who are able to amicably co-parent their children after divorce, or couples with inconsistent schedules, joint legal and physical custody with open visitation between each parent offers the parents a flexible schedule with their children. An “open and unspecified visitation” arrangement would not be suggested for couples who are contentious with each other and don’t agree on parenting issues.
  • Please provide the details of your proposed visitation schedule

  • Orders Re Child Support

    Please describe how you propose to resolve the issue of child support.
  • State law requires judges to follow the California child support guideline when ordering a parent to pay child support to another parent, unless the parties mutually agree to a different amount.
  • ALERT: Some counties, including Los Angeles, require the parties to attached a Guideline Support Report even if they are agreeing to waive child support. In this regard, we may be required to run the Guideline Support Report in your case and will contact you regarding the associated cost.
  • Please check ALL that apply. Make sure options checked do not conflict with each other.
  • What is the monthly child support amount you both have agreed to?
  • Who will be paying the monthly child support?
  • Please check ALL that apply. Make sure options checked do not conflict with each other.
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  • Spousal Support

    Orders Re Spousal Support

    Please describe how you propose to resolve the issue of spousal support.
  • Please base the # of years from the date of marriage to date of separation.
    Please enter a number from 0 to 50.

  • Spousal Support Waiver in Long Term Marriages

    If you are waiving support in a long-term marriage, the court will require the following additional information.
  • What is your monthly gross income?
  • What is Other Spouse's monthly gross income?
  • When considering spousal support, keep the following in mind:
    • Spousal support can be short-term or temporary.
    • Spousal support and be long-term and modifiable.
    • Support can be permanently fixed on amount and duration, This allows the parties to settle on a support order without the risk of ever having to go back into court to argue those issues.
    • Spousal support can be waved in lieu of receiving a greater part of community property.
    • Spousal support can be in a lump sum, a one-time lump sum payout instead of monthly payments.
  • Please describe the terms of your spousal support order by identifying options below. Make sure you do NOT check conflicting options.
  • Please enter the monthly amount of spousal support you believe you both will agree to.
  • Please enter the date spousal support will terminate
  • Please select one of the following.
  • Please enter the number of months or years of the fixed period of spousal support
  • Please indicate the date when you want the court's ability to change or modify spousal support orders to end.
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  • Tax Returns, Refunds or Deficiencies

  • If at any time after the effective date of a signed Marital Settlement Agreement, the parties are entitled to any tax refund (state or federal), the refund shall be payable to the parties as follows:
  • If at any time after the effective date of a signed Marital Settlement Agreement, the parties are required to pay a tax (state or federal), on a jointly filed tax return for previously filed years, the tax shall be paid by the parties as follows:
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  • Serving Your Spouse

  • Please indicate how you anticipate Service of Process to be completed on your spouse. In most of our cases, the other party simply signs a voluntary Acknowledgment of Service which avoids the necessity of formal personal service.

  • IMPORTANT:

    You have indicated your spouse will voluntarily sign Acknowledgment of Service. Based on this selection, please be aware that our office will mail the filed Petition package to your spouse upon receipt of the filed Petition documents from the court. We will also provide you with a courtesy copy of Respondent's package with a duplication of the form your spouse will need to sign so that you can make sure it is timely signed and returned to our office.
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  • If there are any other documents you wish to provide to our office, you can upload them here. Documents with multiple pages should be uploaded in one pdf file. This system will not accept gif, png or jpg files.
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: pdf.
  • Please provide us with any additional details or comments you feel we need to know.
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  • Final Review

    You are almost done. Please review your entries below. If there are any changes or revisions required, you can use the PREVIOUS button to return the the appropriate section to revise your answers.
  • {all_fields}
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  • Great Job! You're Almost Done.

    Now that you have completed your interview we are ready to prepare your documents! You just need to decide what type of services fit your budget.

  • Selecting Your Marriage Termination Proceedings

    A People's Choice offers 2 low-cost options for terminating a marriage. Additional information regarding your selection will be displayed once you choose one of the options.
  • Click on a selection below to learn about our different service options.

    Our full service is our most popular choice.

  • This option is when our more comprehensive services exceed your budget and you just want help with the paperwork. You will receive ready-to-file documentation. This option does not include any additional services or guidance other than written instructions. Customers who chose this option will be required to file the documents on their own, and handle all other aspects of the divorce process.

    Description of Documents Only: Preparation of Summons, Petition, Court Assignment Sheet, UCCJEA Declaration, Request to Enter Default, Prelim Declaration re Service of Disclosure, proposed Marital Settlement Agreement (based on selection), Waiver of Final Disclosure, Request for Entry of Default, Declaration re Uncontested Proceeding, Judgment & Notice of Entry and any required local forms. Documents will be prepared based on both parties signing a Marital Settlement Agreement (if this was included in your services selection.) Client will be provided general instructions regarding the divorce process. NOTE: Any documents required by client not specifically mentioned are not included in the flat fee and may require payment of additional fees.

  • Services - Petition or Response to Final Judgment

  • This option is our most popular option and includes document preparation, case management and help filing all court documents. We will keep you on track through the entire divorce process.

    Description of Full Service: Preparation of Summons, Petition, Court Assignment Sheet, UCCJEA Declaration, Marital Settlement Agreement (if this was included in your services selection), Request to Enter Default, Prelim Declaration re Service of Disclosure, Waiver of Final Disclosure, Request for Entry of Default, Declaration re Uncontested Proceeding, Judgment & Notice of Entry and any required local forms. Services include case management, service by mail, and facilitating all court filings. NOTE: Any documents required by client not specifically mentioned are not included in the flat fee and may require payment of additional fees.
  • Please select which of the following best describes your situation. Services are for divorce, legal separation, annulment or termination of a domestic partnership. Our base fee is indicated with add-on charges for additional optional services.

  • Based on your selections in this interview, the following packages are available. Please select which of the following best describes your situation. Services are for divorce, legal separation, annulment or termination of a domestic partnership. Our base fee is indicated with add-on charges for additional optional services.

  • Services for Respondent - Response Only

  • Please select one of the following services:

  • OPTIONAL SERVICES

    Please select all optional services you desire
  • A Separate Property Declaration can be attached to your Petition and/or Response to identify all separate property. A Separate Property Declaration is not necessary if you anticipate that the parties will sign a Marital Settlement Agreement. If you do not know if your spouse will sign a Marital Settlement Agreement, and you have substantial separate property assets, we recommend that you include a Separate Property Declaration to your Petition or Response. ($150.00)

  • Separate and Community Property Add-Ons

  • A Community Property Declaration can be attached to your Petition and/or Response to identify all Community Property acquired during the marriage. A Community Property Declaration is not necessary if you anticipate that the parties will sign a Marital Settlement Agreement. If you do not know if your spouse will sign a Marital Settlement Agreement, we recommend that you include either a Community Property Declaration, to your Petition or Response if you have acquired property or debts duing the marriage. ($150.00)

  • Devision of Retirement Benefits

    You indicated there will be a division of retirement benefits. A QDRO is required to formally divide a retirement benefit. Some plans such as CalSTRS or CalPRS also require a Joinder. You should check with the Plan Administrator to see if a Joinder is required.

    Sometimes a party will want to file a Joinder simply to LOCK UP the account before a final settlement is made. Please make your selection below.

  • Please select the number of QDROs you will need. Remember, you will need a QDRO for each separate plan that is being divided. Plans that are NOT being divided to not need a QDRO.

    If you do not know whether you will be needed a QDRO, you can order these optional services at a later time.

    Price: $499.00 Quantity:
  • Please select the number of Joinders you will need. Remember, a Joinder is NOT required for all Plans. Certain Plan such as CalSTRS and CalPRS always require a Joinder.

    You may want to file a Join