Divorce
Everyone is familiar with the ‘dramatic’ divorce – whether through television, celebrity marriage breakdowns, and from our own friends, family and co-workers. But the truth is that most marriages are resolved through means other than litigation. Settlement of a divorce is usually obtained through mediation – whether by private pay mediation, court ordered mediation, or simply the attorneys and parties getting together to work through the issues.
The advantage of mediation is endless. Working along with your attorneys, spouses maintain control over the outcome of their divorce as opposed to a judge making a decision. A judge is essentially a stranger to your life circumstances who has briefly reviewed and familiarized themselves with your court file prior to your hearing. Additionally, since there is no risk to attempting to mediate your divorce, as there is no obligation to commit to a settlement, Los Angeles judges mandatorily order parties to mediation prior to any child custody hearing and before trial.
Your divorce can be handled without spouse’s ever stepping foot into a courthouse. If you are getting divorced and need a divorce lawyer in Los Angeles to represent you, the Law Office of Ana Barsegian will help you. Whether you and your spouse desire to have an uncontested divorce or simply start off with legal separation, we discuss the options available to you.
Three-Step Process
A divorce case going through the Los Angeles court system can generally be viewed as a three-step process, but depending on your specific issues, it may involve a few additional steps. At your consultation, and throughout representation, you will fully be aware of how to work towards completing the steps, accomplishing your goals, and finalizing your divorce.
Briefly, the first step involves filing for divorce by preparing the petition and other court required documents, and serving the other spouse. Once the other spouse is served, the second step involves preparing and exchanging financial disclosures of your joint assets and debts, separate property and your income and expenses. This is a mandatory step, and cannot be waived. Disclosure of finances allows both sides an opportunity to reach a fair settlement, and ensures that a settlement is not later overturned due to lack of disclosure. During this time, the other spouse who was served with the divorce petition may or may not have filed a response. We will fully explain your options in the event of a ‘defaulting’ spouse who does not file a response. If both spouses are in agreement regarding the settlement terms, the third step involves preparing a settlement agreement and submitting it to court where a judge approves the agreement and a judgment of dissolution is prepared. If the spouses cannot agree on the terms of their divorce, they can choose to resolve their disagreement by mediation and settlement negotiations or proceeding to court to have a judge decide.
Family Law
The practice of family law covers a broad range of areas, including the following:
- Divorce, Summary Dissolution, Legal Separation, and Annulment
- Paternity, Child Custody and Visitation
- Child and Spousal Support
- Post-Judgment Modifications
- Enforcement of Judgment Terms
- Restraining Orders
- Pre-marital Post-marital Agreements
Our office can assist you whether you have marital property to divide, including valuing businesses, retirement accounts and pensions, hiring appraisers to value real property, and preparing QDRO’s. We will advise you on whether you will be paying or receiving spousal support, determining child support, and developing child custody agreements workable for both parents.
We have seen countless times when parties choose to hire paralegals or online divorce document preparation providers to limit their costs. But because of the errors, lack of clear instructions, and your time waiting to submit documents at court, it takes you longer to get your paperwork through the court system. Without specifically naming these providers, we know the ‘binder’ you received on the steps and tasks to process your own divorce overwhelms you. Our office is experienced on processing your divorce quickly, efficiently, and at reasonable prices.
Estate Planning Issues in Family Law
The practice of family law also crosses over into estate planning, preparation of wills and living trusts. We strongly recommend clients to create and update their estate planning documents to protect their assets and children during and after any family law proceeding. Our office has experience in preparing estate planning documents, and we will give you the advise, knowledge, and direction you need to fulfill your goals and wishes.
Bankruptcy Issues in Family Law
With marriages primarily suffering and ultimately ending as a result of financial distress, whether through mismanagement of income and debt, or unforeseen financial difficulties, our office also has a bankruptcy practice where we advise spouses and individuals on their bankruptcy options, and represent them in bankruptcy proceedings.
