How we can help with your divorce
The Law Offices of Mary Beth Holloway offers clients a variety of services to help them obtain a divorce, legal separation, or annulment at a reasonable cost and without unnecessary delays. We make every effort to efficiently resolve your case in order to reduce the fees, costs, and stress to our clients.
Divorce is not only emotionally difficult, but it can often wreak havoc on an individual’s financial and physical well-being. Potential losses include parents losing time with their children, the potential loss of any property accumulated during marriage, and a drop in income, due to the loss of a spouse’s income or from paying court ordered support.
During this difficult time, it is essential that you have an attorney who understands your needs and objectives, has the knowledge, experience and tools to meet your goals, and who can also decrease the stress and anxiety during the divorce process.
Most clients have many questions regarding the divorce process. How long will the divorce process take? How much can I expect to pay for a divorce? Will I receive or have to pay support to my spouse? Can the other party be forced to pay my attorney’s fees? Please click on our FAQs page for more information.
Attorney Representation
If you are not familiar with the court process, you have complicated custody, support, and property issues, or if you just have a difficult spouse, you will likely need to retain an attorney. Mary Beth Holloway is an aggressive yet compassionate attorney who understands the emotional and financial stress associated with going through a divorce. Mary Beth always seeks to first obtain an out-of-court settlement to reach the client’s goals in order to reduce legal fees and prevent acrimony between the parties. However, should settlement fail and your case requires a more aggressive approach, Attorney Holloway is well known for her zealous advocacy and successful trial outcomes that meet her client’s objectives.
Paralegal Services
Paralegal service is optimal for uncontested or simple divorces that are less than two years in length, do not involve children, and where both parties have reached an agreement on division of property, spousal support, and all other issues. The Law Offices of Mary Beth Holloway will prepare the necessary paperwork and provide filing services for clients who do not require or desire attorney representation. Paralegal services are inexpensive and best suited for amicable divorces.
The Process
In order to file for dissolution of marriage in California, you must be a resident of California for a minimum of six month, and a resident of the county where the divorce is to be filed for a minimum of three months. To obtain a dissolution of marriage, you will first file a Petition for Dissolution in the county in which you live. After filing the Petition, the parties are required to disclose all community and separate property assets and debts for the purposes of property division. For more information please call us.
Mediation
Most lawyers and judges will tell you that if you can reach an out-of-court settlement with your spouse, you will be far more satisfied with the results than if you have to go to court. The Law Offices of Mary Beth Holloway offers affordable mediation services to resolve your divorce without you ever having to go to court. Mary Beth will meet with you and your spouse to determine your needs and objectives, and if there are children, the best interests of the children will always be primary. We continually assess the next steps to take for a successful resolution, and our aim is to help you achieve a divorce that serves the best interests of all parties involved. Together, an agreement will be reached that is mutually acceptable and advantageous to all parties.