You might think you can handle your divorce proceedings on your own without an attorney. While it is technically possible to represent yourself successfully through divorce proceedings, this is an arduous path with a high margin for error and significant risks. The average person with no formal legal training is likely to make critical errors at various stages of the divorce process, potentially leading to an imbalanced divorce order and an increased need to return to family court repeatedly to correct issues with their divorces.

Hiring an experienced Placer County divorce lawyer can help you approach your divorce with confidence and peace of mind. Your legal team will guide you through each phase of the process. No matter what your divorce entails, an experienced divorce lawyer is an invaluable asset as you address the various facets of your divorce and significantly increases your chances of securing a divorce order that suits your needs and goals.

It’s natural to worry about the cost of your legal fees when you need to hire a lawyer. Most Americans believe that legal representation is prohibitively expensive. When you are already facing a situation that is likely to pose significant financial challenges for your future, it can be challenging to justify the expense of hiring a lawyer. However, your decision to hire a Placer County divorce attorney is an incredibly effective investment into your own future.

The right lawyer can significantly reduce the time required to complete your divorce. Additionally, they can help you address crucial aspects of the process you may have overlooked without an attorney. The Ewing Law Group, PC provides client-focused legal counsel to everyone we represent in Placer County, CA. This means we take time to get to know you and your situation so we can provide focused and meticulous legal counsel through every phase of your divorce.

Every state has unique laws pertaining to divorce, and California has two important statutes that you should fully understand before beginning dissolution proceedings. The first is the state’s mandatory six-month waiting period. So even if you and your spouse agree on every aspect of your divorce and both of you are immediately ready to sign your divorce agreement, the absolute soonest your divorce can be finalized is six months from the date your divorce petition was filed.

The second is the state’s community property law. California is one of only nine US states that enforces a community property law for divorce. This law requires all marital property and debt to be evenly divided between the divorcing spouses regardless of the reason behind the divorce or the economic disparity between the divorcing spouses. Unfortunately, many people find the community property law unreasonably rigid, while others perceive it as perfectly fair and impartial.

When it comes to property division in your divorce, both you and your spouse must complete a financial disclosure process. This entails providing complete and accurate financial records for all of your assets, properties, and debts. Your financial disclosure statement is a sworn statement, so you must be complete, accurate, and honest in every element of the statement. The court will review the financial disclosure statements of both spouses and determine a fair division of property under California’s community property law.

It’s important to remember that divorcing spouses have the right to retain ownership over separate property. “Separate” property is anything a spouse owned before getting married, inheritance they received from blood relatives, and gifts they received during the marriage. Your Placer County divorce attorney can help you gather the records you will need to establish your separate property ownership rights and ensure a fair division of marital property in your divorce.

When married parents divorce, they must settle custody and support for their children. As long as both parents are deemed fit by the court, both parents have the right to custody and the responsibility to contribute to their children’s economic needs. Custody determinations are emotional issues, and it’s easy for any divorcing parent to feel as though their relationships with their children are in jeopardy from their divorce. The court must rule in favor of the children’s best interests the custody determination will affect.

Once the court determines the divorcing parents’ custody rights, the next step is determining a child support arrangement for the parents. Next, the court will evaluate the financial needs of the couple’s children based on the cost of living, the economic status of both parents, and the children’s particular needs.

Once the court determines the total amount of support the child needs from their parents, this figure is divided in half to determine each parent’s child support obligation. When one parent receives a more significant share of custody than the other, the court deems this an assumption of their child support obligation. Therefore, the noncustodial parent will need to pay child support to the custodial parent. Unless both parents obtain a completely equal share of custody and earn the same amount of income, one parent will owe child support to the other.

It’s also possible for a divorce case to raise the question of spousal support, also known as alimony. This is money paid by one spouse to another to allow the recipient to maintain a standard of living equivalent to the standard of living they had while married. The amount paid in alimony depends on the difference in income between the divorcing spouses, and the length of time payments must continue depends on the length the marriage lasted.

If the divorcing couple were only married for a year or two, alimony might only be necessary for several months to a year. If the couple was married for 10 years or more, the court might rule in favor of a longer or permanent alimony order. It’s important to note that most alimony agreements include definitions of terminating actions that would disqualify a recipient from further alimony payments. For example, if the recipient moves in with a new partner, their living expenses inherently decrease, which can be enough to cancel the paying spouse’s alimony obligation.

Many people imagine emotionally tense court battles and protracted litigation when they think of divorce. The reality is that many divorcing couples throughout the United States are choosing alternative dispute resolution to avoid the stress, expense, and time required to complete a divorce. Collaborative divorce and mediation have become incredibly popular, and it’s vital to consider the potential benefits of alternative dispute resolution for your particular situation.

Collaborative divorce is essentially a private settlement negotiation for divorcing spouses. The two parties meet with their respective attorneys and negotiate each aspect of their divorce to reach an uncontested agreement. Mediation is similar but unfolds under the direction and supervision of a neutral mediator, a legal professional who has no conflicts of interest favoring either spouse. Consult your Placer County divorce attorney if you believe either option would be viable for handling your divorce more swiftly and efficiently.

An experienced attorney can make a tremendous positive impact on the outcome of your divorce. No matter what your divorce case entails, you can rely on your legal team to provide objective advice through each stage of the process, ultimately helping you reach a fair and reasonable outcome. The Ewing Law Group, PC offers comprehensive divorce representation to every client we serve in Placer County, CA. We understand the frustration and uncertainty that divorce can generate and want to help you approach your divorce case with peace of mind.

If you are preparing to divorce in Placer County or your spouse has filed a divorce petition, and you need to respond, our team can provide the legal counsel you need to navigate your divorce case successfully. Contact the Ewing Law Group, PC today and schedule your consultation with a team of reliable and experienced Placer County divorce lawyers.