Divorce / Legal Separation

Divorce or dissolution is a proceeding that legally ends a marriage or domestic partnership. After a divorce, both parties are considered single and are free to remarry or enter a new domestic partnership. Under California Family Code section 2310, there are only two grounds available for divorce in California:

Irreconcilable differences, which have caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage
Incurable insanity

There are two types of divorce available to California couples:

Summary Dissolution

Regular Dissolution

Summary Dissolution is an easy way to handle a divorce, because it requires only a few forms, and does not require a hearing with a judge. Under California Family Code sections 2400 et seq., Summary Dissolution is only available to couples who:

have been married less than five years
have no children together
own no real property
have no community or separate property worth more than $38,000
have community obligations (other than cars) worth less than $6000.

child custody law Regular Dissolution is the more common form of divorce handled by the California Courts. While no two cases are alike, like no two people are alike, the case flow management of a Regular Dissolution and the different motions, procedures, tactics, and costs are going to differ in each and every case. At the Law Offices of Daniel S. Williams we advise all our clients to know with that in mind it is our goal to work diligently, ethically, and aggressively to bring each case to the quickest and most equitable resolution available under the law.

Unlike in a civil action where there is judgment for either plaintiff or defendant, Family Court is a Court of Equity governed heavily by the Family Code of California and discretion of the Court. While the law forbids any lawyer from guaranteeing any outcome, one guarantee we can make is that the closer our clients work with us in following our legal advice, being open and diligent about issues raised, and cooperating fully while allowing our office to aggressively protect their interest, the better outcome they will achieve. It is not our goal to have our clients linger in a long and drawn-out process. Statistics already state that the net worth of married couples can drop by more than 50 percent after going through dissolution of marriage and it is one of our highest goals to minimize any drop in the net worth of our clients.