Santa Clarita Valley Divorce Lawyers and Family Law Attorneys
Law Offices Of Cathleen E. Norton
When marriage comes to an end, there are 3 ways to end it in California:
- Annulment
- Divorce
- Legal separation.
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void, which cancels a marriage between couples. Annulling a marriage is as though it is completely erased – legally, it declares that the marriage never technically existed and was never valid.
A divorce, or legal dissolution of a marriage, is the ending of a valid marriage between a man and a woman returning both parties to single status with the ability to remarry. In California, all divorces are “no fault” divorces, meaning the spouse asking for a divorce does not have to prove the other spouse did something wrong. Generally, the spouse who files for divorce does so because of something called “irreconcilable differences.” This means the two spouses just couldn’t get along.
There are two kinds of divorces: contested and uncontested divorce. A contested divorce is one in which the parties cannot agree, either about getting divorced or about the terms of the divorce, such as spousal support(alimony), child custody, the division of property, or child support. While no divorce is truly “uncontested” in the sense that there are no disagreements, these disputes do not always have to be resolved in court. An uncontested divorce will proceed through the system more quickly, be much less complicated, and less of a financial burden.
A contested divorce is the type in which the spouses cannot arrive at an agreement on one or more key issues in order to conclusively terminate their marriage. When people who are involved in a contested divorce, usually they require resolution over different issues of the divorce such as:
- Spousal Support(Alimony)
- Child Custody and Visitation
- Child Support
- Debt Allocation
- Property Division
In order to file for divorce in California, you must meet certain residency requirements. Specifically, at least one of the parties must have resided in California for at least six months prior to filing, and in the county where the spouse plans to file for the divorce, for the prior three months. There is a mandatory waiting period required by California law and no couple can be divorced faster than 6 months.
At the Law Offices of Cathleen E. Norton, we work closely with our clients to guide them through the divorce process in Santa Clarita Valley, California. We have experience with all aspects of California divorce ranging from simple uncontested no fault divorces to complex contested high net worth divorce cases. If you feel you or someone close to you is going through a marital discord, we’re more than happy to answer any and all of your queries. Contact our experienced family law attorneys at (310) 300-4021 today to disentangle from all divorce complications and have a clear path to go ahead.