You’ve been served. So what happens next? Here are the first steps to divorce to take after your spouse has filed for divorce. Initially, getting served with divorce paperwork might feel threatening and intimidating. The language on the summons says you have been sued and you have 30 days to respond. But don’t worry, your [...]

There seems to be so much cost associated with divorce. What is the cost of divorce and how will it affect my retirement? In any marriage that will be dissolved (otherwise known as a divorce) in California, a retirement plan or plans is/are subject to the community property laws of this state and may [...]

When you’re getting a divorce, there are many important considerations. One of those is, what happens to your health insurance during a divorce? When a California divorce case is filed, there are immediate temporary restraining orders that issue and that affect both parties’ abilities to cancel coverage or change the beneficiaries of any insurance [...]

If a spouse lives out of state, is a San Diego divorce possible? This is a fairly common question. The quick and easy answer to this is yes, the residence of your spouse outside California does not prevent you from filing for a dissolution of marriage in the county of your residence—in other words, [...]

There are so many steps to divorce that it can be difficult to keep track. For one, how do you go about changing your name after a divorce? There are a few ways to change your name when a divorce case is finished. The easiest way is to request that your former name be [...]

Because fighting out a divorce in court is so very expensive for both parties, trying divorce mediation is a good idea if there is a chance you can be civil with one another while a neutral mediator helps you through the process. On its face, mediation is a simple solution: Both parties agree on [...]

When it comes to San Diego divorce, there are many things that must be considered. The important word to remember here is “family,” which for most of us who are pet owners also includes our pets, so being separated from them can be painful and stressful. So, who gets the pets in a San [...]

What is an SBP election in a military divorce? In a divorce involving a member of the military—or a retired member of the military—a former spouse can request that the member elect to cover them under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), which will continue their share of the member’s retirement benefit if the member [...]

When a summons is issued in a divorce case in California, which occurs at the time the initial Petition of Dissolution is filed, there are provisions listed within the summons that automatically restrain either party from doing certain things with regard to their children and their property. These provisions are called automatic temporary restraining [...]

If you’re a member of the military and seeking a divorce, you may wonder how particular laws may impact your divorce case. The SCRA is a federal law that protects active-duty military personnel, or those who are in their first 90 days post-service, from being adversely affected by certain civil actions. A California military [...]