How many of you read the title to this post and thought “impossible?” or “How do I have a conversation…
Have you ever wished that your divorce case could be amicable? That you could cut through the BS and the…
This is Thomas Ferreira, your family law mediator and lawyer in Carlsbad California. Today I want to talk…
Thomas Ferreira here, your top-flight divorce lawyer and mediator serving Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and surrounding cities. I’ve had…
This is Thomas Ferreira, your lawyer for child custody, child support, spousal support (alimony) and property division serving Carlsbad, Encinitas,…
You’re watching your favorite baseball team on the TV, when suddenly there’s a knock at the door. It’s the marshal,…
Too often I see people rush head-long into divorce without a plan. As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst(tm), and as…
This is the second installment in the series on doing your own divorce, if you have to. In the simple case, you can prepare much of the paperwork yourself, and use a lawyer for spot services, such as preparing complex pleadings, appearing at motion hearings or preparing a marital settlement agreement. You can use a mediator to assist you in negotiations with your spouse.
To get started, click here to open the San Diego Dissolution Package. Then, click here for a sample Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, and print this out so that you can follow along. I’ll give you some tips that will prevent you from making several trips to the court clerk and getting documents returned. In later installments, I’ll cover the summons, service of papers, pre-trial motions and disclosures. You can use an attorney or contact my office if you get stuck.
This article is the first in a series of posts on what to do when you have to do it yourself. My hope is to point you, the lawyerless litigant, toward some resources that will help you to “do it yourself.” There are ways of using lawyers for “unbundled services” that can get results at relatively low cost, using the lawyer only for what’s essential.