Is cheap divorce in California possible?
As a professional legal document assistant of over 30 years, A People’s Choice has helped thousands of people finalize divorces in California. Unfortunately, many of the couples we assist had already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars before finding us. If you are investigating inexpensive divorce options in California and want to avoid the high cost of attorney’s fees, contact A People’s Choice.
Cheap Divorce Options in California
Luckily, it is possible to get a cheap divorce in California.
Some of the most inexpensive divorce options include:
- The county clerk’s office provides information packets for couples who want to file divorce pro se. This is the least expensive way to file.
- Several state-specific self-help divorce books are written for couples who want a “DIY” divorce. For example, Nolo Press’ How To Do Your Own Divorce in California is an especially helpful book and only costs about $20! In fact, most DIY divorce books even provide the paperwork and guides for working out a settlement.
- California also allows professional legal document assistants to help you with the divorce process and forms. These assistants typically offer services on a flat-fee basis ranging from $350 to $600 for a complete divorce. Costs usually depend upon whether the parties have children or property to divide. The services of a legal document assistant typically include:
- providing customers with a self-help book that explains the California divorce process;
- filling all required divorce documents from beginning to end, including a marital settlement agreement if needed;
- monitoring the case to ensure timely progression; and
- filing the various divorce documents with the court at the proper time until the final divorce judgment.
Not every self-help divorce solution is ideal. Therefore, anyone looking for cheap divorce options should carefully weigh the pros and cons of each choice:
Although most courts offer self-help centers, they often offer little help. Additionally, due to the multi-step California divorce process, couples finalizing their own divorce will need to make multiple trips to these centers at various junctions in the process. Also, couples will be responsible for filling out all the paperwork independently.
However, these self-help books are published about every two years. Therefore, they often contain out-of-date form examples. This outdated information can be confusing for those trying to match up court clerk forms with self-help book instructions. Obviously, using self-help books means you must still prepare your own divorce papers and file them with the court throughout the cheap divorce process.
Most legal document assistants also file your paperwork with the court. Therefore, you will not have to worry about which form to file, and your divorce case can quickly proceed to a final conclusion.
Hiring a legal document assistant to help you with your California cheap divorce is certainly than using an expensive attorney, and will make your divorce easy and hassle-free without costing a lot of money.
Misleading Online Divorce Services
If you are trying to tackle your own cheap divorce in California using one of the services listed above, you have to do your homework. Many misleading online divorce services offer customers the same package they can obtain from the local court clerk’s office. However, these documents are often not in compliance with the court’s local rules. Plus, in some cases, these services do not even complete the documents for you!
The fees from these websites often seem inexpensive until an unsuspecting consumer realizes they do not include everything they need to finish the divorce properly. Therefore, if you are searching for a cheap divorce in California, remember to watch out for fraud. ALWAYS check out references and reviews before you pay any money.
Cheap Divorce in California With A People’s Choice
A People’s Choice is a legitimate self-help service that can assist you in filing for a cheap divorce in California. We have helped thousands of couples get a California divorce without spending thousands of dollars. A People’s Choice has been providing self-help legal document services for over 30 years and has established an excellent reputation in the community. You can start your divorce proceedings through our website or call our office to schedule an in-person or over the phone interview.
A People’s Choice  can help you prepare and file for divorce if you or your spouse live in any county in California.
Hello , I would like to obtain a divorce from estranged spouse of 9 years. We have not lived together in nearly 8 years. What is the cheapest way to go about this? I do not know where they live
The need to be served either personally or by publication. Give us a call and we can review the process with you. 800-747-2780.
Do i get part my wife’s 401k if we divorce? I have a pension plan also
Accumulated retirement benefits during marriage is typically considered community property and would be divided.
Hello I am a a pro se litigant, filing an uncontested divorce in Houston, TX. However, I am unable to proceed because California appears to have current jurisdiction over our first two children. We were married in California in 2005, divorce in 2007, and remarried again in California in 2010. We both moved to Texas in 2017, and I filed for divorce Dec 28, 2018. Although we both reside in Texas, our final divorce decree from 2007 does not appear to nullify despite our remarriage. We are hoping to file a motion for the presiding judge in California to concede jurisdiction to our current Texas judge so that we may move forward with the divorce. Is this something you are able to help us with?
You may want to talk to an attorney. I’m not sure if you guys could stipulate to having the other court have jurisdiction over this matter. If so, you may simply need to prepare the documentation and file it with the court..