California Law Books
California divorce and separation preparation can be a complicated project. You could be shocked if your partner tells you that he or she wants a divorce. Worse yet, you might come home someday to an emptied out house and a note, with your partner and children gone from the house. If that happens, you would be unable to do any California divorce and separation planning on your own. But then, your partner may have plotted expertly and you may find out that belongings have been hidden or dissipated over a period of time, or that a move to another residence was conscientiously organized by using the aid of an attorney intending to control a child support dispute. Though that type of organized underhanded preparation goes on sporadically, it does happen and should be a lesson to every person who is thinking over a California divorce: preparation and strategies are decisive and might be considered by everybody.
To guarantee that you are undertaking the the best California divorce and separation preparation and employing the best legal maneuvers, you might need the help of a lawyer. A good California marital lawyer has seen it all. He or she has handled enough lawsuits to anticipate what maneuvers may be undertaken by your spouse's lawyer, which maneuvers are effective, and what maneuvers are best for your desired results. Employing plans and preparation will not dictate that you are instigating divorce or separation litigation. It indicates to the other side all of the pertinent facts of your case and your desired results and you have thoughtfully planned how to get where you want to go. A full settlement dialogue is not to occur without quite a bit of thought and preparation. Several litigants do not understand the real value provided to them by their lawyer. Actually, often people will claim that they did all or most of the work in obtaining data or in feeding information to their lawyer, only to be confronted with a large bill, and they want to know why. The "why" is found in the California lawyer's level of experience and number of years practicing and the lawyer's ability to prepare your maneuvers to get the final result requested by you.
The tactics and planning that you must undertake before starting a California divorce or separation do effect the outcome of your case. There are some things that every person will have to do, including obtaining all your economic documents. Many preparation and strategy issues can be very unique to your own lawsuit, including the background of your married life and your own situation. Notwithstanding your unique situation, your preparation must take place after a careful consideration of the pertinent facts and a detailed conversation about your goals with your lawyer.
Different individuals confronting the same situation may want to use different California divorce plans as a result of their dissimilar objectives. If negotiating a settlement and not going to Court are what you want, your lawyer could engage in different tactics than if you want a Judge to make the decisions. If your lawyer has been given all of your facts and your particular goals, your lawyer can work on a tactical outline that is designed to benefit you. Because divorce or separation is frequently a struggle over income and assets, obtaining the pertinent documents about your finances is critical. It is imperative that you locate copies of the most recent income tax returns and your w-2 and your partner's w-2 from each job for each of those years. If those documents are under your spouse's control, you may request copies from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are in a situation where you do not want your partner to know that you are undertaking divorce preparation, have those records mailed to a office address, a friend's house, or to your lawyer.
An outline of the history of your marriage is significant to other issues that your California divorce lawyer will be addressing on your behalf. Many lawyers request that you prepare a outline to help them. If your attorney does not want an outline, you should still prepare one. The work that you put into that outline will only assist attorney on matter like fault, child custody, and support, and it should cut down on attorney preparation time needed for your case and thus, save you money.
The more time you put into obtaining, and outlining important data and info for your California divorce and separation attorney, the less time you will spend in your attorney's office reviewing those issues. As a result, your attorney may spend less time on information gathering and more of your funds spent on strategies and preparation.
Attorney Jean Mahserjian is the author of numerous websites and books devoted to helping consumers through the process of separation and divorce. To download free excerpts from her family law books, visit: Divorce Help
By Jean Mahserjian
Monday, December 10, 2007
Free California Divorce Forms - Where to Get Them and How to Use Them
California Law Books
If you live in the State of California and you're contemplating a divorce, you're very fortunate to have free divorce forms available to you. Right? Well . . . sort of.
California has published a complete set of divorce forms which you can pick up at your county's superior court or download at the California on line self help law center. They are Adobe Acrobat fillable forms and you can download a free Adobe reader program at the Adobe web site. (Theoretically, you can also just fill them out by hand with a black pen, but court clerks really hate that.)
So, if the forms are free, why are there so many people out there selling divorce kits on the internet? Unfortunately, the California self help center isn't quite as helpful as you might think. I counted 138 different forms for family law alone, and very few of them have any instructions as to how to fill them out. Most of them won't apply to your case, but you really have no way of figuring out which ones do apply. And, they can be very, very confusing. Here's one of my personal favorites: Declaration Re Service of Declaration of Disclosure. Only a lawyer could come up with a title like that.
Let's consider a couple of recent studies. One study by a task force on pro se litigants (people who represent themselves) estimates that up to 60% of the people filing for divorce in California are doing their own divorces. Yet another recent study estimated that up to a third of the people who think they've gotten their own divorces in Los Angeles have never finished them and don't know it.
What's going on here? People are getting access to the free forms, but they're not getting the knowledge they need to use them. If you're going to do your own divorce, you're going to have to get some other resources to help you.
Of course, I think my e-book is the best resource, but I may be a little prejudiced on the matter. Here are some other resources that are well worth checking out:
Ed Sherman's Nolo Press - Ed wrote the grand-daddy of all divorce kits and is a practicing attorney in Santa Cruz. His book, "How to Do Your Own Divorce in California," has been around for many, many years and has sold over a million copies. He has a very good product and an excellent reputation. The book also comes with a CD containing the forms and the programs needed to fill them out. You can find copies at your local book store or his web site at nolo.com. (A word of caution - nearly every library in the state has a copy of this book, but it's best to get a new edition. California changes it's forms twice a year and you want to have the most up to date edition of the book.)
Sphinx Press - "How to File for Divorce in California" - also a very good book, written by a pair of lawyers and regularly updated. The edition that I obtained did not have a CD with the forms but has tear out forms in the back. Again, unless you have a type writer, it's best to download the forms you need from the self help center, rather than using a pen.
The Alpha California Divorce Kit, authored by Kermit Burton - the author is a former law clerk and, while there's not as much explanation of the system as the two preceding books, there are actual completed examples of each form. Again, no CD with this one, but it's comforting to be able to look at the forms and be sure that you've done them right.
Bob Pickus', "Divorce and Family Law in California" - the author is an attorney in Alameda and does clinics on family law. There are no forms or instructions with this one, but I really recommend it. It has some very good, in depth discussions of all of the issues in the California divorce.
If you live in Los Angeles, you can go to the L.A. superior court web site and download a document called, "Manual for Procedure for Processing Default and Uncontested Judgments Submitted by Declaration Pursuant to Family Code Section 2336." As you might guess from the title, it's written in legalese and it's just as dull as ditch water, but it does tell you how to process your divorce.
Be very sure to check the web site of your court for local rules and forms. If you get stuck half way through, you can always get access to your county's family law facilitator for more information. Good luck!
Daniel Adair is the author of The California Divorce Course, an On Line Guide to Filing Your Own California Divorce (http://divorcecalifornia.biz/index.html)
By Daniel Adair
If you live in the State of California and you're contemplating a divorce, you're very fortunate to have free divorce forms available to you. Right? Well . . . sort of.
California has published a complete set of divorce forms which you can pick up at your county's superior court or download at the California on line self help law center. They are Adobe Acrobat fillable forms and you can download a free Adobe reader program at the Adobe web site. (Theoretically, you can also just fill them out by hand with a black pen, but court clerks really hate that.)
So, if the forms are free, why are there so many people out there selling divorce kits on the internet? Unfortunately, the California self help center isn't quite as helpful as you might think. I counted 138 different forms for family law alone, and very few of them have any instructions as to how to fill them out. Most of them won't apply to your case, but you really have no way of figuring out which ones do apply. And, they can be very, very confusing. Here's one of my personal favorites: Declaration Re Service of Declaration of Disclosure. Only a lawyer could come up with a title like that.
Let's consider a couple of recent studies. One study by a task force on pro se litigants (people who represent themselves) estimates that up to 60% of the people filing for divorce in California are doing their own divorces. Yet another recent study estimated that up to a third of the people who think they've gotten their own divorces in Los Angeles have never finished them and don't know it.
What's going on here? People are getting access to the free forms, but they're not getting the knowledge they need to use them. If you're going to do your own divorce, you're going to have to get some other resources to help you.
Of course, I think my e-book is the best resource, but I may be a little prejudiced on the matter. Here are some other resources that are well worth checking out:
Ed Sherman's Nolo Press - Ed wrote the grand-daddy of all divorce kits and is a practicing attorney in Santa Cruz. His book, "How to Do Your Own Divorce in California," has been around for many, many years and has sold over a million copies. He has a very good product and an excellent reputation. The book also comes with a CD containing the forms and the programs needed to fill them out. You can find copies at your local book store or his web site at nolo.com. (A word of caution - nearly every library in the state has a copy of this book, but it's best to get a new edition. California changes it's forms twice a year and you want to have the most up to date edition of the book.)
Sphinx Press - "How to File for Divorce in California" - also a very good book, written by a pair of lawyers and regularly updated. The edition that I obtained did not have a CD with the forms but has tear out forms in the back. Again, unless you have a type writer, it's best to download the forms you need from the self help center, rather than using a pen.
The Alpha California Divorce Kit, authored by Kermit Burton - the author is a former law clerk and, while there's not as much explanation of the system as the two preceding books, there are actual completed examples of each form. Again, no CD with this one, but it's comforting to be able to look at the forms and be sure that you've done them right.
Bob Pickus', "Divorce and Family Law in California" - the author is an attorney in Alameda and does clinics on family law. There are no forms or instructions with this one, but I really recommend it. It has some very good, in depth discussions of all of the issues in the California divorce.
If you live in Los Angeles, you can go to the L.A. superior court web site and download a document called, "Manual for Procedure for Processing Default and Uncontested Judgments Submitted by Declaration Pursuant to Family Code Section 2336." As you might guess from the title, it's written in legalese and it's just as dull as ditch water, but it does tell you how to process your divorce.
Be very sure to check the web site of your court for local rules and forms. If you get stuck half way through, you can always get access to your county's family law facilitator for more information. Good luck!
Daniel Adair is the author of The California Divorce Course, an On Line Guide to Filing Your Own California Divorce (http://divorcecalifornia.biz/index.html)
By Daniel Adair
California DUI Attorney Schooling
CALIFORNIA LAW
When looking for a good DUI (driving under the influence) attorney to represent you in your case, educational background and expertise should be taken into consideration.
Find out whether the attorney attended a law school of good reputation and whether he has a membership at the National College of DUI Defense, which specializes in DUI cases. Know whether he was able to acquire a board certification in the association of lawyers.
It also helps to know the rating of the lawyer in the international directory. Attorneys are rated in terms of their ethics practices and competency in the job. Find out if the attorney is a recipient of any complaints from the state bar.
To date, there are only two law firms in California that specialize in cases of drunk driving. They are also rated A-V, the highest rating in terms of etiquette and competence. These firms have lawyers that have board certification and are specialists in the field of DUI cases, as recognized by the American Bar Association.
There are law firms that accept DUI cases exclusively and are composed of competent lawyers and specialists who have written law books. They even have a technical support staff, composed of former experts on law enforcement.
You can find lawyers that head the National College for DUI Defense, those who have authored books on California drunk-driving and have conducted lectures on DUI cases in seminars attended by other DUI lawyers. There are even lawyers teaching about sobriety testing on the field.
For a list of DUI specialists in California, you may refer to the National College for DUI Defense. It is an organization composed of 700 attorneys that specialize in drunk-driving cases.
Before deciding on the DUI lawyer to hire, examine his personal and professional competencies first. And always check their educational and training background.
California DUI Attorneys provides detailed information on California DUI Attorneys, California DUI Fines, California DUI Defense, California DUI Laws and more. California DUI Attorneys is affiliated with California DUI Lawyers Info.
By Jimmy Sturo
When looking for a good DUI (driving under the influence) attorney to represent you in your case, educational background and expertise should be taken into consideration.
Find out whether the attorney attended a law school of good reputation and whether he has a membership at the National College of DUI Defense, which specializes in DUI cases. Know whether he was able to acquire a board certification in the association of lawyers.
It also helps to know the rating of the lawyer in the international directory. Attorneys are rated in terms of their ethics practices and competency in the job. Find out if the attorney is a recipient of any complaints from the state bar.
To date, there are only two law firms in California that specialize in cases of drunk driving. They are also rated A-V, the highest rating in terms of etiquette and competence. These firms have lawyers that have board certification and are specialists in the field of DUI cases, as recognized by the American Bar Association.
There are law firms that accept DUI cases exclusively and are composed of competent lawyers and specialists who have written law books. They even have a technical support staff, composed of former experts on law enforcement.
You can find lawyers that head the National College for DUI Defense, those who have authored books on California drunk-driving and have conducted lectures on DUI cases in seminars attended by other DUI lawyers. There are even lawyers teaching about sobriety testing on the field.
For a list of DUI specialists in California, you may refer to the National College for DUI Defense. It is an organization composed of 700 attorneys that specialize in drunk-driving cases.
Before deciding on the DUI lawyer to hire, examine his personal and professional competencies first. And always check their educational and training background.
California DUI Attorneys provides detailed information on California DUI Attorneys, California DUI Fines, California DUI Defense, California DUI Laws and more. California DUI Attorneys is affiliated with California DUI Lawyers Info.
By Jimmy Sturo
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