Ontario, CA Divorce Lawyer

Creating a plan for a successful outcome is critical when getting a divorce. Your ex is likely to hire an experienced attorney, and without legal advice of your own, you will be at a serious disadvantage.

While this is certainly a personal matter and bound to be difficult emotionally, it is also the time to cover all of your legal and financial bases to ensure that you are not taken advantage of. Hiring an Ontario, CA divorce lawyer from the Law Office of Laurence J. Brock will ensure that you are not.

Speak with an Attorney Prior to Separating

It is often easier to create a divorce strategy before you actually separate. At this stage, you will have access to all of the documentation you need and be able to implement plans that may become unavailable after you have separated.

Dividing Up Assets

When preparing to divide your assets, you will first need to value them. This can be done with an appraisal or by noting the blue book value for assets like cars and trucks.

Typically, your assets will be evenly divided based on their current value. If you want to keep something in particular, we need a plan to make that happen. This may require negotiating with your former spouse and may mean you have to give something else up.

Every single one of your assets—even the most personal of belongings—will need to be divided. This can be a long and stressful process, and working with an Ontario, CA divorce lawyer from our firm can make it much easier.

Who Gets the Family Home

If you have children, staying in the family home can help your case when seeking custody. If you don’t have children or aren’t seeking custody, however, who stays in the home may become a purely financial decision. Regardless, this asset will need to be factored into the overall division of assets along with everything else that you own.

Custody and Parentage

If you have children, the most important aspect of your divorce will be determining who has custody. While biological parents have a strong claim for custody, step-parents can make one as well. It is not uncommon for step-parents to be awarded visitation after having raised a child that is not biologically theirs. Even grandparents can request visitation rights.

Any child conceived during a legal marriage, whether the couple was living together or not, is considered to be the child of the husband when the paternity of the father is questioned. If that is not the case, parentage will need to be established. Otherwise, child support could be awarded for that child along with any that are biologically both parents’ children.

With any matters regarding custody and child support, it is best to hire an Ontario, CA divorce lawyer to assist you. The rulings made by a judge in these situations can remain in effect until your youngest child turns eighteen. This is one time where you want to do your best to get it right the first time.

Get Legal Help

Divorces are bound to be stressful, and that stress is always worse when you aren’t certain you understand the process or how to navigate the court system. You can relieve this burden by hiring an Ontario, CA divorce lawyer from our office to represent you and fight for your rights.

To learn more about your options and how to protect yourself, call the Law Office of Laurence J. Brock at 909-466-7661 and schedule a consultation. You can also reach us by filling out the contact form below.