Sia’s Amazing Adoption Story—She Adopted One Son and Ended Up with Two! By Sandra McCarthy|March 8th, 2021|Adoption| You might know Sia for her catchy hits like "Unstoppable," but the megastar has a very different side to her as well. The Grammy-award-winning pop star, 44, adopted two 18-year-olds out of the foster care system last year. During an interview with SiriusXM, the typically private singer confirmed she adopted kids in 2019. “I [...] Read More Comments Off on Sia’s Amazing Adoption Story—She Adopted One Son and Ended Up with Two!
What Is A California Legal Document Assistant? By Sandra McCarthy|February 7th, 2021| California Legal Document Assistant vs. Paralegal What is a Legal Document Assistant (LDA)? On September 30, 1998 former Governor Pete Wilson signed California State Senate Bill SB1761, regulating the legal document preparation profession in the State of California, and creating a new formal title, Legal Document Assistant. Today, the legal document assistant profession [...] Read More 0
California Custody Laws: What You Need to Know By Sandra McCarthy|February 4th, 2021|Family Law| If you are in the process of getting a divorce in California and share children with your spouse, it's imperative that you become familiar with California custody laws. Read on to learn more about the different types of custody, how they compare, and what they mean for you. Read More Comments Off on California Custody Laws: What You Need to Know
Compare Using a Legal Document Preparer vs Hiring a Lawyer By Sandra McCarthy|February 1st, 2021|California Courts| Using a legal document preparer vs hiring a lawyer is a great money saving option for routine legal matters. If you are planning to represent yourself in a legal matter, a registered document assistant can help you with your case. Registered legal document preparers charge significantly less than attorneys. Consequently, hiring a document preparer can save you time and give you peace of mind that the forms are complete and correct. Read More 1
Seven Ex-Wives, Three Surviving Children: Who Inherits Larry King’s $50M Fortune? By Sandra McCarthy|January 29th, 2021|Probate, Estate Planning| It’s no exaggeration to say “Larry King” is a household name. King was an enduring on-air personality known for his celebrity interviews and topical discussions. The 87-year-old nationally syndicated radio host was a nightly fixture on CNN, where he conducted an estimated 50,000 on-air interviews from 1985 through 2010. King had an illustrious career [...] Read More Comments Off on Seven Ex-Wives, Three Surviving Children: Who Inherits Larry King’s $50M Fortune?
Can the parties agree to waive the required Financial Disclosures? By Sandra McCarthy|January 21st, 2021|Divorce Column 2, Divorce FAQs| California law requires financial disclosure in divorce. This means that both parties are mandated by law to exchange financial information which includes a statement of assets and debts and community and separate property. There are two disclosures that are required under California law, the preliminary disclosure and the final disclosure. When the parties sign a marital settlement [...] Read More Comments Off on Can the parties agree to waive the required Financial Disclosures?
What is a Dissolution of Marriage? By Sandra McCarthy|December 9th, 2020|Divorce| Marriage dissolution is the legal term for divorce. It is possible for many couples to dissolve their marriages without hiring lawyers or appearing before a judge. Using the professional services of a legal document assistant service like A People's Choice, to help you file your dissolution of marriage can save you thousands of dollars as compared to hiring an attorney. Read More Comments Off on What is a Dissolution of Marriage?
Is It a Good Idea to Hire a California Probate Attorney? By Sandra McCarthy|September 20th, 2020|Probate| Not every asset that belongs to a deceased person becomes part of his or her estate. Not all estates must go through probate. Only some of the estates that go through probate involve complex issues that require the personal representative to hire a lawyer. In fact, hiring an attorney is usually a waste of money in uncomplicated probate cases. For most people, it makes better financial sense to hire a non-attorney professional to complete your probate forms correctly. Read More Comments Off on Is It a Good Idea to Hire a California Probate Attorney?
What Is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order? By Sandra McCarthy|August 9th, 2020|Family Law| Diving property during a divorce is overwhelming; as a result, many couples forget about their retirement savings! In fact, a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) ensures that a portion of one spouse's retirement benefits are transferred to the other spouse upon divorce. However, there are certain legal requirements and regulations that limit QDROs. Read on to learn more. Read More 5
How to File a Restraining Order in California By Sandra McCarthy|July 31st, 2020|Family Law| Experiencing abuse from someone in your life is a stressful and scary situation. Therefore, filing a California restraining order may help relieve some of the anxiety associated with physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. However, you don't have to file alone. Contact A People's Choice today to learn how we can help. Read More 18
Modifying Child Support Orders in California By Sandra McCarthy|June 3rd, 2020|Family Law| If you've experienced a change in personal circumstances that affects your ability to pay child support, you may want to modify your current child support order. Read on to learn what the court considers when modifying child support orders, and how A People's Choice can help. Read More Comments Off on Modifying Child Support Orders in California
The Legal Separation Process in California By Sandra McCarthy|May 19th, 2020|Family Law| Filing for legal separation in California is similar to the divorce process. However, the main difference between filing for legal separation and divorce is that under legal separation the parties will not end their marital status after dividing community assets and debts. Read on to learn more about the legal separation process in California and how A People's Choice can help. Read More 34
Pros, Cons, and Alternatives: California’s Courts Self-Help Center By Sandra McCarthy|April 27th, 2020|California Courts| Many people who try to use the California courts self-help centers end up calling a registered legal document assistant service instead. Read on to learn how these self-help centers can help you, and whether a service such as A People's Choice's may be better suited for your situation. Read More Comments Off on Pros, Cons, and Alternatives: California’s Courts Self-Help Center
How to Transfer Real Property Before and After Death in California By Sandra McCarthy|April 24th, 2020|Estate Planning| If you're looking to transfer real property in California, it's important that you understand the different types of deeds and how they work. Furthermore, in order to avoid paying unnecessary document transfer tax, learn how the tax is calculated and when you're exempt. Read More 37
LegalZoom vs. Nolo vs. Rocket Lawyer & A People’s Choice – Compare Legal Document Services By Sandra McCarthy|March 28th, 2020|California Courts| If you're looking for a legal document preparation service, a simple Google search will present a plethora of a results - but how can you know which service is best? In this post we'll compare LegalZoom, Nolo, and Rocket Lawyer, three of the most popular legal document services, and also alert you of some of their dangers. Read on to learn more! Read More Comments Off on LegalZoom vs. Nolo vs. Rocket Lawyer & A People’s Choice – Compare Legal Document Services
Should I Represent Myself in Family Court? By Sandra McCarthy|March 22nd, 2020|Family Law| Some unhappily married people complain that they cannot afford to divorce their spouses. Family law attorneys often charge a lot of money for services involving the family courts. In order to save costs, people are now asking themselves, "should I represent myself in family court?" The answer is often "yes," but you also need to consider your circumstances. Here's what you need to know. Read More Comments Off on Should I Represent Myself in Family Court?
Online QDRO Preparation – What You Need to Know By Sandra McCarthy|November 3rd, 2019|Family Law| Don't settle for just any online QDRO preparation service. Did you know that most online QDRO services only prepare the forms? In other words, they do not provide the additional services you will require to actually complete the QDRO process. Remember, the actual division of the retirement account is only complete once a QDRO has been prepared, pre-approved by the Plan Administrator, signed by the parties, signed by the Judge, filed in the court case and a certified copy provided to the Plan. Read More Comments Off on Online QDRO Preparation – What You Need to Know
What is Substitute Service of Process? By Sandra McCarthy|August 12th, 2019|California Courts| Serving someone with court papers is more complicated than it sounds. The law requires you to make every reasonable effort to notify the person you are suing, and you must carefully document your efforts to send notice to the defendant. Proper service of legal documents can involve a lot of paperwork, especially if you try to notify the defendant through substitute service of process. Read More Comments Off on What is Substitute Service of Process?
How to Resolve Mistakes Made by a Court Clerk By Sandra McCarthy|July 21st, 2019|California Courts| Sometimes, even the court system makes simple mistakes. Unfortunately, mistakes made by a court clerk, for example, can create serious difficulties. For example, receiving a $100,000 award in a judgment, but finding the clerk accidentally wrote in "$10,000" instead. How devastating! How can you fix this "slip of the pen" and receive the award to which you are entitled? Attempting to resolve mistakes made by a court clerk should be simple, but many people find it harder than they expect. A People's Choice can help you get those errors corrected in a swift, timely fashion. Read More Comments Off on How to Resolve Mistakes Made by a Court Clerk
What is a Joinder? By Sandra McCarthy|July 6th, 2019|California Courts, Family Law| Legal proceedings can be a complicated process. Sometimes, unexpected people and parties have an interest in the legal process. When this is the case, you must add them to the legal proceedings before you can fully resolve the case. You will use a joinder to do this. So what is a Joinder, and how does it affect a legal matter? Read More Comments Off on What is a Joinder?