Oak Park Divorce Attorney
Experienced Family Law Specialist in Oak Park, CA
At Richard Ross Associates, we offer an exceptional level of professional counsel in all family law and divorce matters. As a California Board Certified Family Law Specialist, our lead attorney, Richard Ross, has gone far beyond the normal level of education in family law. There are few law firms or divorce attorneys that have taken the time and effort to gain this level of education in family law. Beyond the training level, our firm has served as counsel in divorce and family law cases for over 40 years. Our insight into California law, the divorce process, and all other surrounding issues can serve you well. As skilled negotiators and litigators, we pride ourselves on offering our clients individual and compassionate representation, and our lead attorney is personally involved in every case we take on.
Divorce: The Impact on Finances and Family
The outcome of your divorce will likely have a long term impact on your finances and the raising of children. A divorce is an emotional situation at the best of times. The ability to get matters resolved with regard to the terms of a settlement as quickly as possible can allow you to move forward and to focus on your new situation, and to deal with the many issues involved in transitioning to a single status. Our Oak Park divorce lawyer is prepared to discuss your situation with you and advise you about all of the critical issues in your divorce. There are a number of matters that must be fully resolved, including:
Are you eligible for spousal support? Will you be ordered to pay support? What are your options? These are matters that should be carefully analyzed. Under state law, the duration of payment of spousal support will be based upon the length of the marriage, as well as the earning capacity of each party, and the standard of living enjoyed during the term of the marriage. You may or may not be ordered to pay support, or to receive support. You can find out more about these issues directly by contacting our Oak Park divorce lawyer for an initial consultation. This will allow you to find out about our firm, meet with our attorney, and to get information about what to expect in your divorce, as measured against state law.
Richard Ross Associates is Prepared to Fight for You
Many divorces are fairly simple, as the two parties agree on the critical points, and tend to be able to communicate. In other cases, this is far from the situation. A divorce can be so bitter that every detail, from single possessions to pets is hotly contested, with unreasonable demands, with no ability to compromise. It is not impossible that one party could want to make life difficult for the other spouse after an unhappy marriage and subsequent break up. The legal system has been used for this function by many people in the past, and no doubt will be used again in the future. If you are on the receiving end of this type of activity, you need quality legal help on an immediate basis.
It should be noted that the courts do not look kindly upon such activities. My firm can evaluate the situation and take action to help you get it under control and back on track. You have rights, you have interests, and whether the other party is engaging in all-out warfare or is acting in a more friendly way, these rights and interests must be protected. Our firm can assist you in evaluating your circumstances, reviewing state law and case law that could apply, and in crafting a strategy to protect you and to seek a fair resolution. Every client is served directly by our attorney.
Each person we represent is someone we care about, and that we will work hard for. It takes long hours and dedication to resolve a complex divorce. Our firm is committed to serving each individual with the care, focus and professional skill that is deserved. If you are considering a divorce, or have another family law matter to resolve, we can be contacted for more information, or to schedule a confidential consultation. We take our responsibilities to our clients very seriously and will do everything possible to resolve your matter in a timely and successful manner so you can move forward with your life.
Call us today for more information about divorce and family law.
Dedicated TO CLIENT CARE & SUCCESS
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I heartily recommend him to anybody in need of a well qualified, results-oriented, family law specialist.
“I would not hesitate to, again, retain the legal services of Richard Ross.”
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Our family and our dignity have been restored.
“Mr. Ross and his supportive, competent staff put their hearts into their work and literally turned our lives around.”
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The results far exceeded my expectations.
“The entire staff at Richard Ross Associates really helped me through my divorce and they were with me the whole way.”
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Extremely thorough and professional!
“Richard has helped me through a very difficult divorce and I can't say enough good things about him.”
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Polite, caring, and quick to respond.
“Richard Ross is a subject matter expert in the field of family law.”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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This is very important: If you have separated from your spouse before one of you has filed for dissolution of marriage or legal separation, avoid agreeing to and placing into effect a temporary parenting plan arrangement regarding the children unless you will be able to live with this arrangement after the divorce papers have been filed. Once you begin a parenting plan that seems to be working, it becomes the "status quo." It is very difficult to convince a mediator or judge to change the status quo, especially if it is working or appears to be working and is not detrimental to the minor children.
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If you have not received a judgment dissolving your marriage before the end of the year, you may file an individual tax return under the status of "married, filing separately" or a joint tax return with your spouse. You should consult your accountant as to the advantages of these options. You may obtain special information booklets regarding tax information for divorce or separated individuals from your local IRS office or read the IRS booklet online.
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To file an action for divorce, also known as dissolution of marriage, a person must have resided in the state of California for six months and in the county where the action is filed for three months prior to filing the petition in court. This is true of either the petitioner or the respondent - either person can meet the test and allow a filing. If your spouse meets the residency requirement, you can file even if you do not meet it yourself.
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The court can and usually will order you to move out of your residence if your spouse convinces the court that you have been violent toward your spouse or threatened your spouse. You could be given ex-parte notice to be in court the next day because your spouse is seeking an order to make you move out and stay out. You can be ordered to leave immediately and not return even if your spouse is not on the property title or lease agreement! Once you are ordered to leave, it is not likely that you will be allowed to return.
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Before you get a divorce, photocopy all relevant financial documents that you can obtain and store them off-site with a trusted friend or relative. Do not store them in the trunk of your car where they can easily be found and removed by your spouse. There may be both personal and strategic reasons not to tip off your spouse that documents are being reviewed for a possible dissolution proceeding. Make copies of documents that you find in the residence and return the original documents to their original location as soon as possible so that your spouse won't notice that they are missing. It is often advisable to make the photocopies when you are sure your spouse is away for an extended time, such as during a workday. It is advisable to gather as many relevant financial documents as possible while they are still available and before they have been removed or destroyed by your spouse. This will significantly reduce the cost of divorce litigation if the documents do not have to be recovered later. It will also permit us to get a true picture of all community assets and debts as soon as possible.
