DIY Divorce Process in California Check Your Compliance With the Residency Requirements. Collect the Court Papers. File the Paperwork With the Court. Serve Your Spouse. Wait for the Response. Complete Preliminary Financial Disclosure. Draft a Settlement Agreement and a Parenting Plan. Obtain the Final Judgment.
You can get a divorce without a lawyer. Your court's Self-Help Center staff can help you with forms and offer legal information. If you have a lot of property or debt, you can hire a lawyer to help with all or part of your case.
Choose the Right Time and Place : Find a private, quiet space where you can talk without interruptions. Be Honest but Compassionate : Clearly express your feelings and reasons for wanting a divorce. Prepare for Their Reaction : Understand that your spouse may react with shock, anger, sadness, or denial.
DIY Divorce Process in California Check Your Compliance With the Residency Requirements. Collect the Court Papers. File the Paperwork With the Court. Serve Your Spouse. Wait for the Response. Complete Preliminary Financial Disclosure. Draft a Settlement Agreement and a Parenting Plan. Obtain the Final Judgment.
If you and your spouse file in different California counties, it will matter not who filed first but who gets the other spouse served first. That determines which county's Superior Court will handle the case. But once the court is determined, the two parties have the same procedural rights.
The divorce process Part 1: Start a divorce case. One spouse (or domestic partner) files papers to start the case and officially lets the other spouse know. Part 2: Share financial information. Part 3: Make decisions. Part 4: Finalize the divorce.
DIY Divorce Process in California Check Your Compliance With the Residency Requirements. Collect the Court Papers. File the Paperwork With the Court. Serve Your Spouse. Wait for the Response. Complete Preliminary Financial Disclosure. Draft a Settlement Agreement and a Parenting Plan. Obtain the Final Judgment.
Yes, you can file without your husband's knowledge and consent. You have a constitutional right to marry whomever you like, with some narrow exceptions (eg some minors, some people you are related to, same sex persons in some states, etc.). You have about the same right to divorce, pretty much at will.
A: The quickest and least expensive way to get a divorce in California is to have an uncontested divorce. This means that both parties are amicable and able to reach a reasonable agreement on the terms of the divorce. The process can take much longer if one or both parties are unwilling to come to an agreement.
California has no specific limit on how long a spouse may drag out your divorce, but the court has some mechanisms in place to deal with uncooperative spouses. This typically involves issuing court orders to ensure divorce cases progress in a timely manner.
 
                    