The smart first move is meeting with an experienced local divorce lawyer – in southern California, contact the Sarieh Law Offices. Have a divorce attorney prepare a Petition and a Summons on your behalf. You begin the divorce process by filing your Petition and Summons with the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where you or your spouse reside.
The Summons is a document that informs your spouse that you are filing for a divorce and that he or she will then have thirty days to file a “Response.” In the Response, your spouse will indicate which specific issues are in dispute and will have to be resolved by the court.
For example, he or she might object to your request for spousal support or your request for the sole custody of the children. The most complicated California divorces can take months, and as a rule of thumb, the more there is to dispute, the more likely it is that a divorce will be long and costly. Wherever you can make a compromise agreement with your spouse, do it.