Orange County is the perfect merger of coastal charm and a dynamic business industry. From the sandy shores of Newport Beach to the industrial corridors of Irvine’s Technology Park, Orange County is an affluent area. When divorce occurs for couples in Orange County, the stakes are high. If you and your spouse cannot reach agreements on various aspects of your divorce, an Orange County contested divorce lawyer can fight for you. Working with an experienced Orange County divorce lawyer from the start can help you feel more confident and prepared, even when things get tough.
At Minyard Morris, our team of 20 highly qualified attorneys has been serving the Orange County area for almost five decades. We have handled thousands of divorce cases, having fought hard and diligently for the rights of our clients inside and outside the Orange County Superior Court. We can make sure your needs and desires are met in your divorce case. Whatever your contested divorce case might include, we can fight for you and no one else.
What Makes an Orange County Divorce Contested?
In California, around 75 out of every 1,000 residents will undergo a divorce each year, giving the state an overall divorce rate of 7.45%. In some divorce cases, the couple may reach amicable agreements on how certain aspects of their divorce will be handled. However, when tensions and emotions are high between the couple, amicability is nearly impossible. A contested divorce then becomes your only option.
A contested divorce occurs when a couple cannot reach an agreement on their own regarding various components of their marriage dissolution. Therefore, they must look to the courts to make these determinations for them. The most common issues can include:
- Child support. In California, when couples who share a minor child seek a divorce, one or both parents may wish to obtain child support. This form of financial support is intended to help the main custodial parent provide for the basic needs of their child. The courts will use a formula to determine fair amounts of support, taking into account both parents’ incomes and the specific needs of the child.
- Child custody. If you and your spouse share children in Orange County, you will want to create a parenting plan. This will determine how and when your children will be cared for by each parent after the divorce is settled. The plan can include where your child will primarily live, how decisions regarding the child’s upbringing will be handled, and how much time the child will spend with each parent.
- Property division. California operates as a community property state, so all assets acquired during the marriage are considered to be owned equally between the spouses. If you and your spouse cannot decide how to divide this property, the courts will need to do so for you. Community property can include the marital house, vehicles, and bank accounts.
- Spousal support. In California, spousal support, otherwise known as spousal maintenance, is not awarded in every single divorce case. However, in circumstances where one spouse makes a significantly larger income than the other, a judge can order the higher-earning spouse to make support payments to the lower-earning spouse, either temporarily or permanently.
For families dealing with multiple legal matters at once, having an Orange County family lawyer can make sure everything from child custody to property disputes is handled the right way. If one or more of these topics are being contested by your spouse, the team at Minyard Morris will aggressively represent your interests.
How to Prepare for an Orange County Contested Divorce
If you and your spouse cannot reach agreements regarding the various topics of your divorce, you will need to appear before a judge who will make these decisions for you. This can be a difficult and lengthy process, and it is wise for you to prepare ahead of time. You can do this by taking the following steps:
- Work with an experienced team of attorneys who, through skill, foresight, and planning, can fight for your interests in a contested divorce.
- Understand your finances, including all your assets, debts, and forms of income – particularly crucial when dealing with complex property division in California. You can do this by gathering all bank statements, pay stubs, and tax records.
- Maintain control over your own emotions when you need to present evidence or deliver statements to support your case. Letting your emotions get in the way can only harm your case. Hiring an attorney to represent you can help you do this.