Uncontested divorce

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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.

Fees

My fee for preparing divorce papers ranges from $1,200 to $2,500. This does not include the court filing fee which is $435 plus an e-file fee which ranges from about $5 to $20 extra depending on the form of payment. The total court filing fee can range from around $440 to $455. This fee is paid directly to the court, but in cases that I handle, this is usually done electronically. 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.

Additional fees:

Some cases that involve division of a retirement pension require more fees and additional court filing fees. In many cases you might have to hire an attorney to prepare documents to divide a pension. I can only prepare documents to divide a retirement pension if the company or government agency provides their requirements with sample forms. There is an additional fee to prepare a real property deed. This commonly occurs in a divorce case where one party transfers ownership to the other as part of a divorce settlement. There may be additional fees if you are filing a motion for immediate child custody, visitation or support. This usually involves additional court filing fees as well. There is usually an additional fee to have the other party served with papers unless that party comes to my office to be served or will accept the papers by mail. If you need to hire a professional process server in Monterey County click the "Other resources" tab.

I also assist with modifications of child custody, visitation and child support. In cases where the parties were never married and have minor children together and want to establish custody, visitation and support orders, I can assist with that as well. In some limited situations, I can assist with contested family law cases, but my services are limited. 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 responses and Declarations of Disclosure. 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 cases since 1991, 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.