Finish a Divorce Case

There are many more forms that you must complete and file before your case is finalized. The Court will not contact you. You may proceed with your case in one of three different ways: Default, Uncontested or by Trial. You must choose the correct option. If you are not sure which option to choose to correctly finalize your case, you may contact a lawyer or the Self-Help Center / Family Law Facilitator Office.

Choose one of the following to finalize your case:

• Default Instructions
  If no FL-120 Response was filed by the Respondent and there is no agreement or participation from the Respondent, then you may proceed by default and request to obtain the orders requested in the FL-100 Petition.
• Uncontested Instructions
  Regardless of whether an FL-120 Response was filed by the Respondent, you may proceed as an uncontested matter if both parties agree to everything and both sign a notarized Marital Settlement Agreement or Stipulated Judgment that conforms to public policy and contains your agreement on all the issues including but not limited to child custody visitation, child support, spousal support and division of assets and debts.
• Trial Instructions
  If an FL-120 Response was filed by the Respondent and you and the other party do not agree on all the issues, then you may request a trial date for the judge to decide the issues in your case.

Family Law Case Information Q&A Webinar (only for divorce and child custody cases)

This Q&A webinar will provide an overview of the family law process and offer information about how to start, respond to, or finish a divorce, paternity or child custody and child support case. We will explain what forms to complete, how to file your documents, how to give the documents to the other party, and more. This webinar also includes a Q&A section at the end where we will gladly provide neutral information in response to your questions.

Sign up for the webinar at Family Law Case Information Q&A Webinar or call (805) 706-3617.

We recommend that you watch the Family Law Case Information video below for a preview of the topics that will be covered at the webinar. 

*Please note that this video does not contain audio and is approximately 15 minutes long.