Other Services

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I have handled thousands of divorce cases since 1992. Most of the cases that I handle are uncontested where the parties are generally in agreement. My services involve preparing the documents at your specific direction, filing them with the court and following the overall progress of the case.

Due to my heavy workload with real property deeds, I only handle a limited number of uncontested divorces. Please call me to discuss your situation. If you are representing yourself in a divorce proceeding, in some situations I can offer assistance with parts of your case such as the Declaration of Disclosure and fixing documents that were rejected by the Court Clerk. You can also obtain assistance at the Self-Help Center at the Monterey Courthouse. 

Fees

My fee for preparing divorce papers ranges from $1,500 to $2,500. This does not include the court filing fee which is $435. If the initial documents are filed electronically, there are additional service fees imposed by the electronic filing service provider depending on if you use bank debit or credit/debit card. These fees are in addition to the $435 filing fee.

If your income is low, you might qualify for a waiver of the court filing fee. Review California Judicial Council form FW-001 for more information. Click the "OTHER RESOURCES" tab and scroll down to the link for downloading court forms.

There may be additional fees as noted below. There are situations where a divorce might cost less. One example is where a person started a case and is having a hard time finishing it. This often happens where papers are rejected by the Court Clerk for a number of reasons. Another example would be a case where the parties were married for a very short period of time, do not have children together, have very limited assets and debts (before, during or after the marriage), are in complete agreement and are willing to come to my office together to sign forms.

I also assist with modifications of child custody, visitation and child support. These cases can be time-consuming, so I accept these on a very limited basis. If the Department of Child Support Services is collecting child support in your case, and you want to modify the child support amount, contact that agency first.

In some limited situations, I can assist with contested family law cases, but my services are narrow in scope. This commonly occurs where a party is served with a summons, and the opposing party is represented by an attorney. People commonly hire me to prepare routine documents like a response to avoid defaulting. This is often done in the meantime while the party seeks to retain an attorney. All of the above situations vary, so please call me to discuss the fees.

There are misconceptions about what I do as compared to an attorney. People mistakenly believe that I can do what an attorney does but at a lower cost. California law restricts what I do to the preparation and filing of forms at your specific direction. Since my services are limited, my fees are lower. While I have handled thousands of family law related cases since 1992, these largely involve routine matters where the outcome is already known, and the person involved in the case knows what he/she needs done. Just like you would go to a doctor if you have a health issue, you should consult an attorney if you need legal advice and/or representation in court. If you and your spouse are not in agreement, but you think that you might be able to come to an agreement without court, you might consider an attorney who specializes in divorce mediation.