In California, either one of the spouses can file a petition for a divorce. If you received a divorce summons or petition from the court, you are known as the respondent under divorce law. This means that your spouse is asking the court for a divorce or legal separation. If you are served divorce papers in the South Bay or Beach Cities of Southern California, Family Law Attorney David Yamamoto in Torrance, can help you figure out what your options are:
- You can do nothing in which case the court will most likely grant your spouse what they are asking for in the petition. The judge will have no choice but to make his or her decision regarding property, spousal support, child custody and other issues based solely on the information provided by your spouse. This is known as a true-default.
- You can do nothing because you and your spouse already have a written notarized agreement in place. This is called a default with agreement. You are still defaulting by not responding but you have a say in the final outcome regarding property division, spousal support, child custody, and all of the other issues that come up in a divorce.
- You can file a response with the court but also come to an agreement with your spouse regarding divorce issues. This is an uncontested divorce.
- You can file a response with the court where you disagree with what the spouse is asking for in the petition. This is a contested divorce and the court will have to make decisions regarding all the divorce issues. If you are considering this option, you should get in contact with a Hermosa Beach divorce law lawyer as soon as possible.
David Yamamoto, with his extensive qualifications, can help you through this tough time in your life. With a proven track record as a litigator and mediator, and his passion and dedication to non-adversarial intervention, he and his associates are considered leaders in the area of collaborative divorce law. So if you live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, including Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Gardena, San Pedro, Westchester, Marina del Rey, or Playa del Rey and want an expert in divorce law, David Yamamoto is the right person for you.