Family Law

To request a contribution to your attorney's fees, you must file a formal Request for Order with the court, providing detailed financial information to demonstrate your need and your spouse's ability ...

You can find official California Judicial Council family law forms on the California Courts website, and you can get free help completing them from your local court's Family Law Facilitator or Self-He...

To file a Request for Order (RFO), you must complete specific court forms, file them with the court clerk, and have the other party in your case legally served with the documents. Here is how to file ...

To legally adopt your stepchild in California, you must file a petition with the court, obtain consent from the child's other birth parent, and complete a court-ordered investigation before a judge fi...

To make a custody or support order from another state enforceable in California, you must register it with the appropriate California Superior Court. This process formally asks California to recognize...

A valid California prenuptial agreement is a written contract signed by both parties before marriage, accompanied by full financial disclosure and independent legal counsel. Here are the steps to crea...

To respond to a Request for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order, you must complete and file a specific response form with the court and have it legally served on the other party before your court he...

In California, a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) must be served on the other party through personal service by a neutral third party or, if that fails, through substituted service. You, the person p...

To get a permanent restraining order, you must present clear evidence proving to the judge that abuse or a credible threat of abuse has occurred. Your evidence should consist of your own detailed test...

To file for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) in California, you must complete and file specific court forms, have a judge issue a temporary order, and then legally notify the other person ...

To get a court-ordered DNA test to determine a child's legal father, you must file a lawsuit to establish the child's legal parents, called a "Petition to Establish Parental Relationship," with the Su...

A Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) is a government form that unmarried parents can sign to legally establish who the parents of a child are. When filed, it has the same legal effect as a cour...

An unmarried father can establish legal parentage in California by signing a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage with the mother or by filing a court action to be legally recognized as the parent. Each...

In California, debts incurred during the marriage are typically divided equally between spouses, while student loans are a major exception and are usually assigned to the spouse who received the educa...

In a California divorce, you can sell the family home and divide the proceeds, have one spouse buy out the other's equity, or, in some cases, defer the sale until a later date. The goal is to divide t...

In a California divorce, you can claim reimbursement for your separate property contributions used to acquire or improve community property assets. This claim must be formally made and proven with doc...

A Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is a specific type of court order that directs a private retirement plan to pay a portion of a participant's benefits to their former spouse. In California,...

To prepare a complete list of assets and debts for your California divorce, you must gather all financial records and use them to fill out specific court-mandated forms. This process, called the Preli...

In California, when the party receiving spousal support begins cohabitating with a new partner, it creates a legal presumption that their need for support has decreased. This allows the paying spouse ...

To modify or terminate a spousal support order, you must file a formal request with the court and prove there has been a significant change in circumstances since the last order was issued. The court ...

California courts review fourteen specific factors listed in Family Code 4320 to set the amount and duration of long-term spousal support, focusing on the marital standard of living and the supported ...

To request temporary spousal support, you must file a formal Request for Order with the court and provide detailed financial information. The court will then hold a hearing to decide on your request. ...

In California, the legal obligation to pay child support typically ends when your child turns 18. However, if your child is still a full-time high school student and living with a parent, the obligati...

To get a court order for work-related childcare costs, you must file a formal request with the court and have a judge approve it. California law considers these costs a mandatory add-on to base child ...

The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) has broad authority to collect overdue child support payments using powerful enforcement tools. These actions are often automated and can be ...

You can ask the court to order the other parent to contribute to health insurance and other medical costs by filing a formal motion called a Request for Order. This action modifies your existing child...

To modify your California child support order after a significant income change, you must file a formal request with the court. The court can only change the support amount retroactive to the date you...

To file a court request for an initial child support order in California, you must open a family law case (or use an existing one) and formally serve the other parent with your request. Here is how to...

To determine child support, you must provide the court and the other party with a complete financial picture using an Income and Expense Declaration and its supporting documents. This process requires...

To estimate your child support obligation, you use the official California Guideline Child Support Calculator website by inputting specific financial data for both parents. The calculator applies the ...

To establish a legal holiday and school vacation schedule, you must get a detailed, written plan included in your official court-filed custody order. You can do this by either reaching a written agree...

If the other parent is denying your court-ordered visitation, you can take formal legal action to enforce the court order and request sanctions against the non-compliant parent. Here are the steps you...

A California judge must consider the preference of a child aged 14 or older if the child wishes to share it, unless it is not in their best interest. For a child under 14, the judge has the discretion...

To enforce a child custody order, you must file a formal request with the court that issued the original order, asking a judge to compel compliance. Here are the steps to take when the other parent co...

Child Custody Recommending Counseling (CCRC) is a mandatory process where a court-appointed counselor helps parents create a parenting plan; if they cannot agree, the counselor makes a recommendation ...

To modify a child custody and visitation order in California, you must file a Request for Order (RFO) with the court, serve the other parent, and attend mediation and a court hearing. The court will o...

A formal parenting plan in California must detail legal and physical custody arrangements, including a specific timeshare schedule and rules for decision-making, to serve the child's best interest. He...

To request an emergency custody order in California, you must file specific court forms demonstrating an immediate risk of harm to your child and give the other parent formal notice of your request. T...

To legally move with your child to another city or state, you must either obtain the other parent's written permission or get a court order allowing the move. The process is based on ensuring the move...

To get child custody and visitation orders when you are not married, you must file a "Petition to Establish Parental Relationship" with the court. This case legally establishes parentage and allows a ...

You can request to restore your former name directly on your initial divorce paperwork, and the change becomes official once it is included in your final divorce judgment signed by a judge. Here's ho...

A default judgment in a California divorce is a final court order ending your marriage, which is granted when your spouse fails to file a response to your divorce petition within the legal timeframe. ...

To respond to a dissolution of marriage petition in California, you must file a Response (Form FL-120) with the court within 30 days of being served. Here are the steps to formally respond to the case...

To file for divorce in a California county, you or your spouse must have lived in California for the last six months and in that specific county for the last three months before filing the petition. ...

You can still get a divorce if you cannot find your spouse by asking the court for permission to use an alternate method of service called "service by publication" or "service by posting." This involv...

The Preliminary and Final Declarations of Disclosure are mandatory financial statements that you and your spouse must exchange in a California divorce. They provide a complete and honest picture of yo...

To serve your spouse with California divorce papers while they are in another state, you must use a method that is legally valid for out-of-state service, such as service by mail with a formal acknowl...

To start a divorce or legal separation in California, you must file a Petition and a Summons with your local superior court. If you have minor children, you must also include a child custody declarati...

To file for divorce in California with an uncooperative spouse, you will initiate the case and proceed by "default" after your spouse fails to respond. This process allows the divorce to move forward ...

When you and your spouse agree on all issues, you can file for an "uncontested dissolution" in California. This process involves filing a joint agreement with the court, which is simpler and faster th...