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INTRODUCTION
DO YOU NEED AN ATTORNEY; That
depends. If yours is a short marriage, both spouses work, no children, no
property and you have the time to educate yourself, probably not; Self
help books, paralegal’s and the courts may be useful. Unfortunately such
resources are not a substitute for professional assistance the more
complex the issues become. The more you have and the more urgent the need
for relief is, the more complex the dissolution becomes. Knowledge,
tactics and timing are essential parts of the process. There is no
substitute for experience. The long term cost of making a bad decision can
be enormous. Some bad decisions can be straightened out, unfortunately the
cost to straighten things out could easily cost more than the cost to
retain counsel and do it right the first time.
Attorney conduct is policed by California State Bar and local bar
associations. Attorneys are required to attend continuing education
seminars and most attorneys have errors and omissions insurance. If
you use a experienced paralegal, they should be able to do the basic
paperwork, but there is much more to the process than checking boxes and
filling in blanks on a form. There are substantial economic consequences
associated with checking the right boxes, completing the forms and taking
timely action, it pays to know you rights and to do it right the first
time.
If you appear in court without an attorney and are
representing yourself, you will be held to the same standard as a
attorney. . . . you should not expect to get a break because you are
representing yourself. If you decide to represent yourself, be
prepared to invest your time to learn the process. The more you know the
better. If you are inclined to use a paralegal because you think it
will cost you less, you may be surprised of how little cost difference is
between an paralegal and attorney . . . check around. You may find that
for a about the same price, you can hire an attorney.
Take the time and get a consultation with an attorney and find out what
your rights are. Many attorneys offer a free initial consultation. Take
advantage of such offers before you decide to do it your self.
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LEGAL FEES
Most attorneys bill on a hourly basis. This means that
all time (phone calls, court appearances, research, etc) spent on your
case is tracked and then used to calculate the total fees due. Hourly
rates will vary by area and the experience level of the attorney.
Generally the more experienced the attorney the higher the hourly charge
will be. On the other hand the more experienced the attorney, the more
likely he or she will not have to research every issue or procedure that
arises in your case. This will translate into lower fees and better
results in the long run.
Attorneys will also require a retainer (advance payment for services to be
rendered) prior to the commencement of the services. The amount of the
retainer will vary based on the complexity of your case and the need for
immediate action.
When the retainer has been used up, an additional retainer may be
requested unless your attorney will let you make payments.
Some attorneys will charge a fixed fee, that is one price for the entire
case. The problem with fixed fee agreements is that they have the
potential of putting the attorney and client in conflict with each other.
Clients in fixed fee cases tend to take unrealistic litigation positions
instead of making realistic litigation positions.
It is usually very difficult to predict what the total fees will be; There
are many variables that effect litigation . . Your spouse and their
attorney, your attorney, the issues, how aggressive you want your case
litigated and the down time in court waiting for court rooms to hear your
case. That is why most attorneys will not quote a fixed fee.
The more aggressively you or your spouse want the case litigated the
higher the cost. You should do a cost benefit analysis and evaluate the
risks and rewards of settlement vs. litigation.
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BUNDLING SERVICES
Some attorneys will bundle services. This means that
you hire an attorney for some aspects of the case and do some yourself.
If you are considering bundling services, you should discuss this with an
attorney at the beginning of your case so that the allocation of
responsibilities and expectations can be discussed and thereby avoid
problems at the hearing.
Some cases are not suited for bundling due to their complexity.
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DIVORCE
Divorce is the process through which all issues related
to ending a marriage are resolved. This includes custody, visitation,
support, valuation issues, division of property, division of debts,
credits, reimbursements, restraining orders and related issues. The amount
of time it takes to complete the divorce will depend on the complexity of
the issues and more importantly, the reasonableness of you (and your
spouse) to resolve matters. Agreements as well as disagreements can occur
at point in the process.
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DIVORCE - HOW LONG
DOES IT TAKE
By statute, it takes a minimum of 6 months from the date the divorce
petition is served on your spouse for the divorce to become final. However
once an agreement is reached, the divorce paperwork can be completed and
filed with the court at any time. If all procedures have been followed,
the divorce will automatically become final 6 months following the service
of the petition.
If there are contested issues (custody, visitation, support, property
division, etc), the process can take substantially longer to complete.
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DIVORCE -
GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE
California is a no fault divorce state. This means that you can obtain a
divorce by establishing irreconcilable differences. Since differences can
be about anything, simply citing these grounds is sufficient to obtain a
divorce. A divorce can also be obtained on other grounds when necessary.
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LEGAL SEPARATION
The grounds to obtain a legal separation are the same as a divorce. The
primary difference between a divorce and legal separation is that while
they both resolve property, debt, custody, support , visitation and other
marital issues, you are still legally married to your spouse at the end of
the process.
Legal separations are requested for many reasons, some of the more common
reasons are to maintain insurance coverage for a spouse or for religious
reasons. In some cases individuals file for legal separations because they
believe that the marriage can be saved at some point in the future yet
still want to formalize the division of their property and obtain orders
for custody, visitation and support.
If one spouse requests a legal separation, the other spouse has the
absolute right to request a divorce.
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ANNULMENT
If an annulment is requested it means that you are asking the court to
treat the marriage as if it never happened. Upon the granting of the
annulment the parties are immediately restored to the status of unmarried
persons. The decision to request an annulment, separation or divorce may
simply be a personal choice or it may be driven by substantial legal
considerations. Unlike a no fault divorce, those seeking an annulment must
establish the necessary legal grounds.
A marriage of short duration or the infidelity of a spouse are not grounds
for an annulment.
Unlike a divorce, your spouse can contest the annulment and the court can
deny your request for an annulment if the grounds cannot be established.
For these reasons, divorces are usually requested in the alternative.
Property acquired during a marriage that is annulled, is still subject to
division by the court.
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DIVORCE - JURISDICTION
California will have divorce jurisdiction as long as one of the parties
have been a resident of California for at least six months and a resident
of the county in which the divorce is to be filed for at least three
months prior to the filing of the divorce. Divorce jurisdiction may not be
enough to obtain some orders if one of the spouses has not had sufficient
contacts with the state of California.
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DIVORCE - AUTOMATIC TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDERS
Once the divorce is filed and served, a number of court orders take effect
immediately. These orders restrict both parties from performing a number
of actions during the pendency of the divorce. These orders are called
ATRO’S; Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders. The most important of
these orders stops the parties from canceling insurance policies, changing
beneficiaries on insurance policies, disposing of property and removing
children from the state.
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SERVICE OF PROCESS
Service of the divorce petition triggers the process. Service is generally
accomplished by having the petition personally delivered to the other
party. Service can also be accomplished by mailing the service documents
certified mail, return receipt requested, if service is being done out of
California. Another method of service allows the party served to
acknowledge their service by signing and returning the proper form to the
attorney after it is received in the mail. There are other types of
service but these are the most common. The divorce petition should be served as soon as possible after the
petition is filed. Statutes mandate that if service is not done in a
timely fashion that the divorce can be dismissed.
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DIVORCE - FILING
YOUR RESPONSE
Once the divorce is served, your spouse has 30 days to file a response.
The response is designed to give your spouse the opportunity to either
agree to the relief requested in the petition or to ask for something
different.
If the response is not filed and served on the other party within 30 days,
the you can request the court to take the other party’s default and
proceed without any input from the other party.
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DISCOVERY
Once the response is filed and served, attorneys usually refer to this as
a contested divorce. At that point the parties generally begin to assemble
the information they will need to prove their case. This process is called
discovery.
Discovery may still be necessary in uncontested and default divorces.
Discovery can take many forms. Whatever form is used it all is designed to
obtain information that will be used to prove your case.
Requests for discovery must be complied with in a timely fashion otherwise
monetary and other forms of sanctions can be imposed on the noncomplying
party by the court.
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AGREEMENTS
There are generally two types of agreements in dissolutions, martial
settlement agreements and stipulated judgments (and stipulated orders).
Agreements can occur at any point in the process.
The reality is that the lines of communication should be kept open if
possible with your spouse. It is essential that you attempt to separate
the negative feelings that relate to ending the marriage from the
considerations related to the division of assets, custody, visitation and
support.
Martial settlements agreements (and other written agreements) are
contracts between the parties that resolve all or some of the issues in
the dissolution. If a martial settlement agreement is entered into it
still requires that a judgment be prepared. The judgment makes the terms
in the agreement enforceable court orders.
A stipulated judgment will normally include the same provisions that a
marital settlement agreement includes, however the language is in the form
of a judgment. While both are widely used, the decision to use a marital
settlement agreement or a stipulated judgment may be based on your
attorneys preference or the nature of the issues.
Some litigants enter into side agreements or agreements outside the terms
of the marital settlement agreements or judgment. Such agreements may not
be enforceable and should be avoided.
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DIVORCE -
DEFAULT
When a default is taken it means that the a spouse has not filed their
response to the divorce within the time allowed and the other party has
decided to request the court to grant the relief requested in the
petition. The effect of taking your spouses default means that the
petitioner will generally receive all the relief they have requested in
their petition, provided it is consistent with the law.
If the response is not filed in a timely fashion and the spouses default
taken, the defaulted party may have the right to file a motion and request
the court to set aside the default and to file their response. This is a
very technical area of the law and there are critical time limits and
procedures that must be followed. The ramifications of not having the
default set aside could be significant.
It is common for a default to be taken by agreement, if the parties have
entered into an agreement resolving all of the issues.
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CONTESTED DIVORCE
If your spouse files a response they are probably contesting all or a
portion of the relief being requested in the divorce petition. The filing
of a response does not preclude an agreement from being reached at a later
date. It is not uncommon for agreements to be reached on some issues and
for the court to resolve other issues despite the fact that a response has
been filed.
Those issues that cannot be resolved by agreement will go to trial.
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CHILD CUSTODY TEMPORARY ORDERS
When a divorce is filed there may be a need for temporary orders. These
orders can be for almost any issue related to the divorce. Generally these
temporary orders are to maintain the status quo or requests for custody,
visitation, support or some form of restraining order.
Unless there is an emergency, such orders usually take about forty-five
days to be heard by the court. If emergency orders are requested the
matter can be placed before the court within 24 hours. Orders that are
based upon a emergency are called exparte orders. Theses type of orders
are generally based on a showing of great or irreparable harm or the need
to maintain the status quo.
If emergency orders are granted they will be based upon declarations and
testimony is not taken. A full evidentiary hearing must be set within 21
days of the request for exparte relief.
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PATERNITY
Paternity actions are more appropriately called complaints to establish a
parent child relationship. As the name implies its purpose is to establish
parental rights and responsibilities between a parent and their child(ren).
Such actions can be brought by the district attorney or by either parent.
In some cases a person who is not the biological parent of a child may be
able to bring a paternity action.
The court has the jurisdiction to resolve custody, support, visitation and
welfare reimbursement issues in such actions.
The court does not have the jurisdiction to resolve property issues that
may have developed as a result of a unmarried persons, who are the parents
of the child, living together.
The action is usually commenced by filing a Petitioner to Establish a
Parental Relationship. If there is an issue of biological parenthood the
parties generally have the right to request DNA testing to determine
parentage. DNA testing is generally accepted by the court’s for
establishing or excluding parentage. But such tests have limits and are
not absolute.
Paternity can also be established by signing a paternity declaration at
the hospital of through legal presumptions. Your conduct and actions can
result in a judgment of paternity being made even if the person who thinks
they are the father turns out not to be the biological father.
Married couples can in some cases dispute the parentage of a child born
during the marriage. Conversely, the biological father of a child born to
a married couple can under some circumstances assert his parental rights
to a child conceived during a marriage.
Once the issue of parentage has been determined, the court will make
custody, visitation and support orders.
Paternity can also be raised by the District Attorney in welfare and non
welfare support proceedings. Unfortunately if the District Attorney is
involved, the issues of custody and visitation are not automatically
placed before the court. In such cases, a parent must request the court to
have those issues brought before the court in either a separate proceeding
or file a motion to have the issue resolved in the District Attorney
action. There may be county procedural variations regarding the correct
procedure.
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CHILD CUSTODY
When making an award of custody, the court is driven by the concept of
what is in the best interests of the child. This is a very broad concept
and it can include many facets of the person’s relationship with their
child.
Generally the courts look to which parent is better able to provide for
the heath, safety and welfare of the child, history of contacts with the
child, history of custodial responsibilities, which parent will be more
likely to provide for the frequent and continuing contacts of the child
with the other parent, substance abuse by a parent and prior acts of
domestic violence to name a few.
The courts generally prefer to rely on expert testimony when making
custody orders. This usually takes the form of a Evidence Code 730
Evaluation or a referral to the mediation department of the superior court
for a investigation.
In a 730 Evaluation, a mental health care professional conducts a battery
of tests on the litigants coupled with interviews with the parents,
children and collateral witnesses. The expert may also draw on other
confidential information and sources to assist them.
These reports can be ordered by the court or agreed to between the
parties, many custody disputes are resolved in conjunction with the
recommendations made by the expert.
If the investigation is conducted through a courts mediation department,
it is generally based upon the interviews and other confidential criminal
and court records.
The decision to choose a particular type of investigation or for that
matter a specific 730 evaluator could have a major impact on the final
disposition of your matter.
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ATTORNEYS FOR CHILDREN
In some cases the court will appoint an attorney to represent your
children. This is helpful if a child has a preference to live with a
particular parent or in cases where the parents positions may be in
conflict with the best interests of the child.
Whenever custody is in issue, it requires a critical and serious analysis
of the facts. If you decide to litigate custody you must be willing to
invest your time and financial resources.
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CHILD CUSTODY MEDIATION
Mediation is required as a condition precedent to litigating all custody
and visitation matters in California. Mediation is conducted between the
parents and trained social worker: Attorneys are not permitted. Its
purpose is to attempt to reach an agreement in a non litigation setting.
In some jurisdictions, the mediator will make a recommendation to the
court, in others it is simply a settlement tool. Education is frequently
required.
Most jurisdictions have the ability to recommend a custody evaluation or
the appointment of an attorney to represent the children.
Many cases are resolved in whole or in part through mediation. Proper
preparation for your mediation will make that much more effective.
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CHILD CUSTODY
MOVE AWAY CASES
Move away cases in California occur when one spouse wishes to move out of
the state or area and thereby take the children with them.
This is a very complex area of the law however, to simplify matters
greatly, if the decision to move away is litigated as part of the initial
phase of the case, the court will look to the notion of what is in the
best interest of the minor children in making the determination if the
move should be allowed.
If the move occurs after the parties are divorced an is a modification to
the initial custody and visitation orders, a move will generally be
allowed it the spouse who is moving away has sole physical custody, the
other spouse only has visitation and the move is not intended to frustrate
the visitation of the other parent.
Rarely move away cases that black and white.
Under existing case law, if the parties have what is indeed a true joint
physical custodial relationship, the move away will be litigated as if it
was the first time custody was litigated and the best interest standard
will be used.
Absent such facts, the party wishing to block the move or the parent who
wishes to move after the initial determination has been made, must show a
substantial change of circumstance to obtain a change of custody. The move
its self is not considered a substantial change of circumstances.
A defense to any move away would include evidence which suggests that the
party is moving to frustrate the visitation of the other parent or that
the move is whimsical and not well thought out.
The parent objecting to the move has the absolute right to request an
Evidence Code 730 Evaluation.
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TEMPORARY CUSTODY ORDERS
The courts tend to maintain the status quo when called upon to make the
initial child custody orders. For example, if the parents are separated
and one parent goes to court request custody and visitation orders, in the
absence of evidence which effects the heath and welfare of the child, the
court will generally look to the time sharing arrangement that has been in
place immediately preceding the hearing and make an order that is
consistent with that pattern of contacts.
If that parents have recently separated, then the courts will tend to
focus on which parent has been the primary care giver for the children
during the marriage as well as the best interest standard.
Facts which would suggest the child is being abused, is about to be taken
from the jurisdiction or the inability of a parent to care for the child
can be a basis to change custody on a emergency basis.
A parent who is contemplating court action, but has not yet filed the
action and who is still living with the other parent, should consider some
pre litigation counseling.
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CHILD SUPPORT -
GUIDELINE
Child support in California is determined by a state wide guideline. This
guideline is a algebraic formula which takes into consideration a number
of factors which include the incomes of the parties, the time share
arrangements with the minor children and certain deductions which are
provided for by statute.
This formula is programmed into in a computer program called DissoMaster.
Most attorney’s and courts use this program.
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CHILD SUPPORT - INCOME
Establishing income is critical. Income used in calculating support
includes wages, bonus, overtime, social security, disability payments,
rents and royalties. If a person is not working, suddenly quits working or
cuts back on their income in anticipation of a court hearing , the court
has the power to impute income to that person.
Overtime, bonuses and distributions from stock option plans which are in
the form of non retirement incentives are considered as income and some
courts will also consider income earned from second jobs.
If a party is self employed and that persons income is based on cash
receipts or factors totally within the control of that person,
establishing income will be difficult and will require thought and
discovery prior to the hearing.
The income of a new spouse or a new mate is generally not considered by
the court in establishing child or spousal support. The exception is
dictated by statute and has limited application.
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CHILD SUPPORT
TIME SHARE
Time share is simply the amount of time that the non custodial parent has
the child or children with them. Time share is a extremely important
factor in a support case. A person with a zero time share will pay
substantially more support. In that situation the child loses quality time
with a parent and the obligor parent will be paying more support.
As a general proposition when a person does not see their children, it is
irrelevant how much the other parents income is.
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GUIDELINE DEDUCTIONS AND ADD-ON’S
The deductions an add-ons to the calculation are limited by law. The
primary ones used are union dues, health insurance, interest and tax
payments on a house, some work related expenses, new spouse income (tax
purposes only), child support payments for other children and some of the
actual expenses incurred for dependent children living with the obligor
spouse.
The fact that a obligor spouse has high living expenses will under most
circumstances not justify a lower support award.
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SPOUSAL SUPPORT
Spousal support in California is not designed to be punitive in nature.
Its primary purpose is designed to help a spouse maintain the standard of
living enjoyed during the marriage and to help them make the transition
from living together as a couple to being self supporting.
Other factors include the ability of a spouse to pay support and the
duration of the marriage.
The court has the discretion to consider a number of factors which are
embodied in Family Code § 4320 which include the marketable skills of the
custodial parent, periods of unemployment during the marriage, extent that
the other party has contributed to the other parties education, the
training or the career of the other party, the obligations and the assets
including the separate property of the parties, the duration of the
marriage, the ability of the spouse to engage in gainful employment and
the tax consequences.
The court can require a party to seek employment for the purposes of
becoming self supporting or give them time to become self supporting.
At the initial court hearing, the courts are more liberal in making
support orders , maintaining the marital standard of living and causing as
little disruption as possible to the spouse in need of support.
Unfortunately, this tends to result in court orders based solely on the
guideline and without much statutory analysis. This often results “both”
parties having difficulty making ends meet at this point in the
litigation.
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PROPERTY DIVISION
As a general proposition all property and debt acquired during marriage
through the joint resources or funds of the spouses, is considered
community property.
The exceptions to this are acquisitions of property through inheritances
and gifts.
Property found to be community property is generally equally divided
between the parties. The fact that only one spouse may have worked does
not defeat the non working spouses interest in the community property.
Property under this definition includes pension benefits, stock plans,
accrued vacation, deferred compensation, frequent flyer miles, publishing
rights, copyrights and the like.
The law allows a person to recover separate property contributions
actually used to purchase or improve the community property under some
circumstances.
The separate property of a party can be changed to community property
under certain circumstances and thereby be divided as community property.
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REIMBURSEMENT AND USAGE CREDITS
A reimbursement credit is nothing more than the return of separate
property funds to a spouse who advances those funds for the benefit of the
community purposes under certain circumstances.
Payment of community debt. As a general rule separate funds used to pay
down community debt while the parties are living together as husband and
wife is generally non reimbursable. In such cases the law presumes that
the use of the separate funds is a gift.
Post separation payments. Payments made on community obligations after the
parties have separated is generally reimbursable.
Down payments and improvements. Separate funds used as down payments on
community property or to improve community property is general
reimbursable to the paying spouse.
Usage credits. If a spouse continues to reside in the community residence
or other community real estate after the separation, that spouse can be
charged with the reasonable rental value of the property to the extent
that it exceeds the debt service on the subject property.
In some cases the courts have been know to give negative usage credits.
This occurs if the debt service is more that the reasonable rental value
on the subject property.
Such credits are given without regard to income or ability.
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CASE PREPARATION AND ORGANIZATION
Divorce and custody matters do not have to be contentious litigated
matters. It is not uncommon for parties to sit down and make good
decisions regarding their children and property issues without the
assistance of trial. However to do this, the parties must have an open
communication with each other and make sure that any agreement they have
entered into adequately protects their rights.
Before you can put yourself in the position to reach an agreement, it is
essential that each spouse have a complete understanding of the nature and
extent of the community property as well as a full understanding of the
nature and extent of their rights as a divorcing person.
In this context, a full disclosure of all assets and obligations must be
made. It is also a good idea for each spouse to accumulate as many records
as possible to determine the nature and extent of the assets are. Such
disclosures are required by statute.
An income tax return is a good start in evaluating income and certain
assets. Many couples use programs such as Quicken and Microsoft Money to
track their resources. Copies of balance sheets and statements from those
programs can be extremely helpful in assessing assets.
Finally, the actual source documents are probably the best evidence. Those
documents include bank account statements, deeds, receipts, pink slips,
annual pension statements and the like.
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DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
Recent federal and state legislation has empowered the District Attorney,
Family Support Operations into taking a very aggressive role in the
collection and establishment of support.
The District Attorney serves an important function as it relates to the
collection of support. Unfortunately if you are the parent ordered to pay
support, the District Attorney and the Franchise Tax Board will be in
relentless in enforcing your support obligation.
Their role is automatic if a party is receiving welfare; In exchange for
receiving welfare payments from the county, the county is assigned the
right to receive the support directly from the non custodial parent for so
long as the custodial parent is receiving aid.
What can they do? Commence a new action for parentage and collect support
in welfare and non welfare cases, collect current support welfare and non
welfare support, enforce out of state support awards, file criminal
contempt and other criminal charges for the nonpayment of support; recover
support from pensions, disability payments and workers compensation
awards; attach assets; intercept tax returns; obtain wage assignments;
suspend drivers licenses and other professional licenses and discover
reported income through the Employment Development Department.
What they don’t do; The District attorney cannot take any action regarding
custody and visitation issues.
If you are relying on the District Attorney to collect support on an
existing support order, establish an new support order in a non welfare
case or are asking for a review on any open case, that is not likely to
happen quickly . . . . The District Attorney has a tremendous case load
and your case will be one of hundreds of thousands.
The benefits of having the District Attorney establish or modify support
in a non welfare case, should be compared with the cost of retaining
counsel and getting a support order many months sooner. The lost support
due to any delay in filing an action with the court is generally not
recoverable.
What can you do ? The first step is to establish parentage this is easy if
the parties were married. If the parties were not married then genetic
testing is generally ordered.
Once parentage is established, a support order is made and in some cases
reimbursement is ordered for welfare previously paid and retroactive
support.
If the first communication you receive is the notice that your wages are
being attached or your drivers license is or has been suspended, you must
take immediate action and seek counsel. In addition you must get a
complete copy of your court file.
If the current action is a follow up to a previously filed action, you
will still need a copy of the file if you do not have one. In either case request a payment history from the District Attorney and
locate all documentation your have to prove that you have made some or all
of the payments due.
If you are disputing the service of the underling action, you time is
limited for obtaining relief.
DISTRICT
ATTORNEY - DO'S AND DONT'S
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Do keep all receipts and cancelled checks for all support payments made;
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Do file a OSC to modify support if you loose your job for any reason;
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Do
not rely on a verbal statement that enforcement is being suspended. That
is not a modification of the order and a modification is what you need;
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Do get some help as soon as you are served with court papers, invited to
the District Attorneys office to discuss support or parentage, receive
notification that support is being withheld from your wages or that your
that your license is being taken;
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Do let the District Attorney know if you change jobs or move;
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Do get help if the custodial parent is withholding visitation in exchange
for support or for any other reason.
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Do not ignore letters, pleadings, court documents and bills mailed or
served on you;
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Do not sign any agreements at the District Attorney’s office or in court
without seeking advice;
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Do not automatically accept any proposed agreements in court or at the
District Attorney’s office given to you by a Family Support Officer, they
may be nice people but they are not attorneys and they have limited
discretion; Better results can often be obtained in court;
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Do not make side deals with the custodial parent if the District Attorney
is involved. . . If the District Attorney does not sign off on the
agreement, it is not valid agreement.
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Do not make direct payments to the custodial parents;
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Do not ignore letters, pleadings, court documents and bills mailed or
served on you;
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Do not sign any agreements at the District Attorney’s office or at the
court without seeking advice;
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Do not automatically accept any proposed agreements in court or at the
District Attorney’s office given to you by a Family Support officer, they
are not attorneys and they have limited discretion, better results can
often be obtained in court;
-
There is a lot that can be done to help you . . . however most options are
time sensitive so you must move quickly.
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Legal Separation
