Our legal services include all manner of family law issues, including divorce, legal separation, annulment, summary dissolution, divorce mediation, domestic violence restraining orders, child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, division of community property, step-parent adoptions, and termination of parental rights.
Derrick J. Taberski has been practicing family law in Orange County for the last six years. He has worked with (and against) some of the finest divorce attorneys in Orange County. He works hard to achieve his clients' goals while offering them guidance in framing realistic expectations for their case. Unrealistic goals greatly increase the cost of divorce and if achieved are rarely worth the price. If you want a knowledgeable, experienced lawyer who will protect your interests and not mislead you, contact our office today.
Unlike other areas of law, family law can be quite complex. This is because while other types of cases, such as criminal cases, deal basically with one event, what happened, who did it, and whether it was a crime, family law involves an ever changing fact pattern with complicated emotional aspects as well. A set of facts that existed at the beginning of a case may not still exist at the end (this is especially true in cases involving child custody issues). Family law cases are like an onion with more layers being revealed with each layer explored. The single issue family law case never existed. In each case are numerous sub-issues, each of which is often related to the other issues and which will probably affect global settlement terms. The list of practice areas to the left should give you an idea of how many issues really are involved in a family law case. Given the complexity of family law, you should take care in selecting your family law attorney.
The divorce process is the most emotionally and financially draining experience someone can go through. It is the end of your marriage and regardless of who filed first, each party can expect to go through a great deal of emotional turmoil. The legal process involves one party filing for divorce and having the other party served. The person who filed first is the Petitioner and the other party is the Respondent. After being served the Respondent has 30 days in which to serve and file a response. Otherwise the Petitioner can "take a default," which means that the Petitioner might be able to proceed without any more participation from the Respondent. Discovery usually begins shortly after the Petition is filed and serve. Discovery can take months to complete if done thoroughly. The extent to which discovery is conducted depends upon the facts of the case and the wishes of the parties. An amicable divorce can have little formal discovery, while a litigated family law case may have extensive document requests, interrogatories, and days of deposition prior to being ready for trial. The parties need to provide a certain amount of financial disclosures, which are done through Declarations of Disclosure. Once discovery is reasonably completed (or sometimes before), attorneys often will start settlement negotiations to settle the case or narrow the issues for trial. Usually at least one "order to show cause" is filed pending the final judgment. Such an "order to show cause" is typically to obtain temporary orders regarding child and spousal support, custody, and visitation, among other things. Even a mildly contested divorce can take a long time to resolve, so temporary orders are often necessary to provide structure for visitation and to provide monetary support (if necessary) until the matter can be concluded.