File for Divorce in Orange County

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At The Law Offices of W. Douglas McKeague, we exercise everything in our professional and ethical power to help families and former spouses reach creative solutions for divorce. We want to help minimize court involvement so that your family matters stay in your family.

By approaching the divorce process with skilled negotiation and mediation tactics, we have helped many families walk away from divorce with their finances, future, and rights intact. If your case must be settled through litigation, however, we can bring more than 4 decades of trial experience to the courtroom and aggressively pursue the best possible outcome that can protect your family.

What Is the Divorce Process in Orange County, CA?

Divorce is the legal process of dissolving a marriage. Because the state of California is a no-fault divorce state, couples can divorce one another based on grounds that they have irreconcilable differences and the marriage is beyond repair. In order to initiate the divorce process, one spouse must have lived in California for at least six consecutive months prior to filing for divorce.

Because these decisions could potentially have a lasting impact on you and your entire family, it will be vital to hire an attorney who completely understands your rights, California divorce laws, and how to successfully navigate the entire legal process.

Do I Need a Lawyer for a Divorce?

Some people might be wondering if they need to hire an attorney for their divorce. Below are outlined some important reasons to hire a divorce lawyer, one who will prioritize your best interests and seek an efficient resolution.

Some might shy away from hiring a lawyer for their divorce because the assumption is that hiring legal counsel automatically means that the divorce process will become long, combative, and costly. Fortunately, this is not necessarily the case, especially if you work with the right attorney.

Reasons to hire an attorney:

• To have someone that can move the dissolution of marriage forward
• Advice on divorce matters, ways to stay out of a courtroom, and fights worth pursuing
• A laid-out strategy for the divorce proceeding
• Answers to questions about the process before, during, and after
• Quickly handle contractual issues and paperwork
• Fair recommendations for the settlement of your holdings

Ultimately, each of these tasks saves you and your spouse time, stress, and the potential for bitter fights over the settlement.

Divorce can be an emotionally raw experience. It can make you question yourself, and it can lead you to decisions that provide short-term benefits while sacrificing your long-term financial and personal well-being.

This is the most important reason to work with an attorney. This professional will help you understand the nuances of the divorce proceeding and ensure that you are doing the right thing at every step.

Orange County Divorce FAQs

Divorce may appear like a simple process, but it is governed by a specific body of law regulating how divorce operates. If you are considering a divorce, you owe it to yourself to be fully aware of how divorce works in California so you can make informed decisions. To this end, the following are some common questions regarding the divorce process:

What are the grounds for divorce in California? Divorce in California is based on the “no-fault” concept that all that is needed for a marriage to be dissolved is for the court to find that “irreconcilable differences exist” between the spouses. Effectively, this means that if only one party wishes to divorce, they may obtain one even without the consent of the other spouse, no matter the reason for the divorce.

How do residency requirements apply? To be eligible for a divorce, one of the spouses needs to have been a California resident for the last six months and a resident of the same county where the divorce is to be filed for at least three months before the filing for dissolution of marriage.

How long does a divorce take once the dissolution case is filed? Marital statuses take six months to be terminated from the date the Respondent is served with the Summons and Dissolution Petition. Having an Orange County lawyer at your side can facilitate the process and ensure that no mistakes are made along the way to hold up the process.

What is “venue”? This refers to the type of court and where the case will be field. In California, the proper venue for divorce is the Superior Court in the jurisdiction where the defendant lives.

What about legal separation? Living apart does not constitute a legal separation. California law provides for legal separation and both parties involved must agree to it.

Call Now for More Information About Divorce in Orange County!

It is our mission to help you move onto a new, brighter chapter of your life. By hiring our firm, you can get answers to any questions related to divorce. We have the knowledge to tell you the differences between a divorce and a legal separation and how to deal with post-judgment modifications. We posses the skills to help you navigate through all divorce proceedings. We can help everyone win in the divorce: allowing you, your children, and your ex-spouse to co-exist amicably.

We strongly believe that your family deserves a future of security and happiness.

If you are ready to begin your divorce filing process, do not hesitate to get in touch with our lawyer. We would be happy to sit down with you during your initial, free case consultation and listen to your story. We will address each of your concerns and answer each of your question sin order to help you obtain the peace of mind that you deserve! Get in touch with The Law Offices of W. Douglas McKeague today.