Category: Filing Divorce Petition & Response

The initial forms you need to file with the court to start your divorce basically say to the court, I want a divorce. That is it. It’s not your divorce agreement, and completing these forms doesn’t finish your case. You’ll not get a court hearing or trial to finish your case. But, these papers are […]

File and Serve Divorce Papers: Before you start filling out court papers, it’s very important that you know which forms to use, how to provide them to the court, and how to give a copy to your spouse. Getting the right forms to the court and your spouse is based on a specific process. If […]

How to Complete the Response Forms for a Divorce in California: After the Petition Packet is served, it’s the other spouse’s turn to respond to the Petition Packet. If that is you, you are the Respondent. You’ll complete, serve and file the Response and Request for Dissolution of Marriage, and, if you have minor children, […]

Filing Petition Packet:  Once you have completed the Petition Packet, you’ll need to file them with the court clerk. Print, sign and date your forms in blue to distinguish the original from the copies. Make two copies of each signed form, including any required local forms. Then, package the forms so that you have three […]

Who’s Who in Divorce?  Divorce Agreement: The spouse that starts the case by filing the first divorce papers is called the Petitioner. The other spouse will be the Respondent, the spouse that responds to the Petitioner’s divorce filing. There’s very little legal difference between Petitioner and Respondent and both have the same legal rights and […]