This is a sponsored guest post.
Living a long and happy life with one partner is a wonderful goal. Unfortunately, not everyone is successful in achieving it. Often life situations twist and turn in ways that can make it impossible to save the marriage. Living in a troubled marriage can become far more unbearable than accepting reality and preparing for the dissolution of the marriage.
One of the most disagreeable aspects of any divorce proceedings is that family matters, which can seem very personal, become the subject of general discussion in the courtroom. There are options to minimize information leaking from the private life of the family. For instance, in the case of uncontested divorce, a couple can use the help of online divorce services, which are plentiful in California.
Surviving this process is very stressful for all family members, especially children. Marriage dissolution is often an emotional, frustrating, and traumatic event for all the participants. The quickest way to get through this unpleasant situation is to have a conversation with your partner and not leave crucial decisions to the court’s discretion.
Benefits of divorce over the Internet
Whatever the reasons for the break-up, spouses need to make sure they are serious about the choice and that further family life is impossible. If the couple can stipulate all aspects of the procedure and agree to an uncontested divorce, what comes next?
The answer lies on the surface. Instead of wasting time and money, you can quickly and affordably prepare for the divorce with the help of an online service.
What are the benefits of online divorce?
- It saves time. You do not have to adapt to the available hours of any institutions. And you do not have to spend time travelling back and forth to talk with officials or obtain the necessary divorce forms.
- It minimizes stress. Communicating with clerks or lawyers and having to explain family issues to strangers usually enhances the unpleasant experience. By filling out documents online, you exclude unnecessary communication.
- It reduces financial expenses. You can prepare the divorce documents without an attorney and then take them to court by yourself.
Some of these services have 24 hour support to provide their clients with the information they seek and help with any issues that might arise during the process of the divorce.
What is the cost of online divorce?
During the divorce process, spouses not only change their lifestyle but also incur high financial costs. Expenses include payments to an attorney, the cost of alternative dispute resolution, and other legal costs. California is one of the most expensive states in which to get a traditional divorce. They start at approximately $17,500 and can reach tens of thousands of dollars when children are involved. Most of this amount is spent on attorney fees.
Online divorce in California, on the other hand, is usually inexpensive and relatively affordable. The price for preparing documents online with some additional services included ranges from $300 to $500.
Family tips to make divorce simple and easy
Many issues can be resolved long before you go to court. Therefore, the more information you gather on different aspects of the process, the less stressful it will be. Below are some crucial points to keep in mind when preparing for the dissolution of your marriage.
Make sure you qualify for an online divorce
At the stage when the parties already have an understanding that the relationship has no future, it is advisable for both sides to agree on the key issues as early as possible, preferably before filing any documents.
When spouses can come to a mutual agreement on all major issues, they qualify for an uncontested divorce. If your divorce is uncontested, it qualifies you to prepare your divorce over the Internet. Typically, the negotiation between parties is conducted by an attorney, who then fills in the divorce papers, which increases the expenses of the divorce process significantly. Instead, in the case of an uncontested divorce, you can use an online service to complete the documents without the costly assistance of an attorney.
Check with the residency requirements
Standard requirements to file a petition for dissolution of marriage in California are stated in Section 2320 of the Family Code. In order to file for divorce in the state of California, one of the spouses must have resided in the state for at least six months and in the county where the divorce is filed for at least three months.
If the spouses have lived in different counties for three months, they can choose either of the counties to file for divorce. Sometimes, a couple lives separately in different states. If this is the case, at least one of them must be a resident of California. There is also an option to apply for legal separation and wait until the residency requirements are met.
Determine grounds for divorce
In 1969, California Governor Ronald Reagan signed a law, according to which no reasons were required to obtain a divorce. California was the first state to allow for a “no-fault” divorce. Before that, to get divorced in California, it was necessary to indicate compelling grounds or prove the fault of another spouse. Evidence had to be provided showing that one of the spouses committed an offense incompatible with the concept of marriage, for example, repeated cases of domestic violence.
Nowadays, there are two options that a spouse can choose from when completing the divorce papers:
- Irreconcilable differences, among which there could be a lack of common interests, differences in the upbringing and education of children, opposing views on life, conflicts regarding religious beliefs, and so on.
- Permanent legal incapacity to make decisions, proved by medical and psychiatric testimony.
Fill in the questionnaire to receive divorce forms
By using an online service, you can manage your marriage dissolution on your own. All you need to do is enter your personal information and complete a guided questionnaire. The divorce documents are prepared based on your answers. With these papers, you are ready to go to court. File them together with the divorce petition and pay the court fee. In California, a Petitioner has to pay $435.
Wait for the divorce to be finalized
Once the divorce papers are filed, you have no choice but to wait until the judge signs them. The process usually takes about six months after the necessary documents are filed initiating the case. Complicated cases can even take several years.
Most often, the uncontested cases are finalized without any delays, as there are no issues to look into. Spouses must wait until the waiting period is over and the final divorce papers are signed by the judge before they can remarry. It is always a good idea to do thorough research before filing for a divorce in a specific county.
