How long spousal support lasts in California depends on the length of the marriage, the Family Code section 4320 factors, and the events that end support by law.

Summary dissolution is a streamlined California divorce for couples married five years or less with no children, no real estate, and limited property and debt. Learn who qualifies, the FL-800 forms, the six-month timeline, and when a regular divorce is the safer choice.

Supervised visitation is ordered when a judge finds that unsupervised contact would risk the child's safety. Here is what triggers it, who supervises, what it costs, how to request it, and how to get it lifted.

A practical guide to divorce and custody cases in Victorville and the High Desert: which courthouse hears your case, the forms, child custody recommending counseling, hearings, support, and judgment.

When a parent is unemployed or underemployed, California courts can calculate child support on earning capacity instead of actual income. Here is how imputed income works and how to prove or defend against it.

California grandparents can ask for visitation in limited situations under Family Code sections 3102, 3103, and 3104. Here is what the court requires and how the process works.

A practical guide to filing and finishing a divorce in the Coachella Valley, from the FL-100 petition to judgment at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

The date of separation controls which income, debts, and assets are community property and can decide whether a marriage counts as long-term for spousal support. Here is how California courts decide it and how to prove yours.

A plain-English guide to 730 child custody evaluations in California: when judges order them, what the evaluator looks at, who pays, how the report is used, and how to prepare in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Orange County courts.

A step-by-step guide to getting a domestic violence restraining order in Orange County, from the DV-100 packet and the temporary order to service and the hearing at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange.

How California courts decide whether a business is community or separate property in divorce, how Pereira and Van Camp work, valuation, and who keeps it.

How to file contempt for unpaid child support in California: FL-410 and FL-411, personal service, the elements, jail and fines under CCP 1218, and defenses.

What to expect at a child custody hearing at the Pasadena Courthouse in Los Angeles County: mediation, the RFO, what judges look for, and common mistakes.

Limited scope representation, sometimes called unbundled legal services, lets you hire a California family law attorney for a specific task such as one hearing or one motion, usually at a flat fee, while you handle the rest of the case yourself.

California judges cannot erase back child support that has already come due, but there are real ways to reduce what you owe, stop interest from piling up, and settle arrears owed to the state or the other parent.

A temporary restraining order can issue the same day you file in San Bernardino County, and the hearing on a five-year order is usually set within about three weeks. Here is the full timeline.

Unmarried fathers in California have equal custody rights once parentage is established. How to file the FL-200, get custody orders, and avoid delays.

How California divides 401(k)s, pensions, CalPERS, and military retirement in divorce: the time rule, QDROs, joinder, and hidden account remedies.

Guide to filing for divorce in Ventura County: forms, service, disclosures, temporary orders, and judgment at the Ventura County Hall of Justice.

A DVRO can be granted on your testimony alone, but judges want more. Here is what evidence family courts in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Orange County actually rely on, how to authenticate it, and the mistakes that sink petitions.