Divorce

Divorce is never truly painless in the way that getting a flu shot can be painless. It does not have to be financially ruinous, though. Sometimes, the hardest part of the California divorce process is getting started. If you choose a professional legal document assistant to prepare your divorce documents, you can be sure that you are following the California divorce process correctly, so that it will not cost you any more time and money than it needs to.

Collaborative divorce can work well if you are committed to being professional about it. The bad news is that it is not cheap. Paying a lawyer for countless billable hours is not cheap under any circumstances. Who needs a collaborative divorce when you can have an amicable one? Instead of lawyers, talk to your spouse. Instead of going to a law office, talk at home. You and your spouse can decide together what each party wants out of the divorce. When you are ready, you can file the uncontested divorce paperwork. You do not have to go to court. You do not even need to involve any professionals, except a legal document assistant.

Divorce mediation is often used as a first-step in trying to resolve disputed issues between divorcing couples. In most contested divorces, the parties are able to resolve their disputes using a divorce mediator, and they do not need to go to trial. Although mediation is arguably less painful than going to trial, it is not especially cheap. Sometimes couples don't actually need a divorce mediator but just a third-party helper to get them through the legal process. Instead of paying the cost of a divorce mediator, couples can spend a fraction of that money on document preparation services by a California legal document assistant and pocket the rest.

In California, spousal or partner support can be temporary or permanent. “Permanent alimony” can go on indefinitely. On the other hand, "temporary alimony" is awarded as a transitional stop-gap until the spouse receiving the alimony can get on their feet. Couples that are divorcing amicably can also agree to the amount and duration of the alimony in their marital settlement agreement. Alimony obligations usually have a pre-set end date. Sometimes, however, the obligation to pay divorce alimony is open-ended meaning the court retains the ability to modify or extend the support indefinitely.

It It is possible to get divorced without lawyers, without going to court, and for much less money than members of the “high net worth divorce crowd” pay. With this in mind, finalizing your divorce may actually be closer within your reach than you think! A California legal document assistant can help you get your final divorce decree easily and hassle-free by preparing your divorce documents.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it impossible for many unhappy couples to avoid the truth that they want to get divorced. If another stimulus check comes as the pandemic drags on, the amount will be more than enough to get your divorce process started.  The good news is that the court will waive the divorce filing fees if you can demonstrate financial need. The even better news is that you can avoid expensive lawyer fees by having a California legal document assistant, not a lawyer, prepare your divorce documents without charging too much money on top of the cost of divorce filing fees in California.

When you hire a divorce lawyer, you are probably not the lawyer’s top priority. In most instances, the person doing most of the work on your divorce papers is a California divorce paralegal employed at the law firm. Instead of paying inflated hourly rates to an attorney solely to work through their divorce paralegal, you should have a California non-attorney legal document assistant prepare your divorce documents.

Although all divorce cases start out with the filing of a divorce petition, sometimes the complexity or level of conflict in your case changes as the case progresses. If things start out amicably, but your divorce gets messier after you file the initial divorce petition, it does not necessarily mean that you need a lawyer. Even if your divorce changes course after the initial filing of the divorce petition, having a California non-attorney legal document assistant prepare your divorce documents is still the most cost-effective choice.

People in all tax brackets get divorced, and there are divorce lawyers to fit almost any budget. Some law firms market their services to a wealthy clientele by using such buzzwords as “high net worth divorce.” Others advertise themselves as a cheap California divorce lawyer who provides legal services to the 99%. What a so-called cheap California divorce lawyer does not tell you, though, is that getting divorced without hiring a lawyer at all is easier than you think. While some divorce law firms may provide valuable services at a reasonable price to people who really need a divorce lawyer, it is a waste of money to hire a California divorce lawyer, even a cheap one, if you do not really need one. The professional expertise you need might be that of a California legal document assistant, not a cheap California divorce lawyer, and the good news is that professional document preparation services cost a lot less than hiring a lawyer.

One of the best ways to ensure that you and your spouse have an amicable divorce and do not end up as enemies is to agree not to get lawyers involved. Whether your divorce stays completely amicable or even if you end up with a contested divorce, it is a better idea to work with a California legal document assistant instead of a divorce lawyer, unless you want to pay thousands of dollars in attorneys’ fees.