California Divorce Info Blog

This post gives information and details about how to get a dissolution of marriage in Bakersfield, California. Bakersfield is situated in Kern County. Marital Law cases are addressed by the Superior Court. For people who are trying to handle their own family law case the county has a “Self Help Center” which is located in the law library at 1415 Truxtun Avenue on the 3rd Floor, Bakersfield, California 93301.

The family law section of the Kern County Court system handles cases involving divorce, family violence, legal separation, annulment, child assistance, child custody, and visitation.

Here are some questions commonly asked by those who are getting a divorce in Bakersfield.

Is a trial absolutely necessary before I can get divorced?

A person getting a Bakersfield divorce can have a trial but it not a requirement. Nevertheless, it isn’t the only way to get your divorce concluded. Many cases are resolved by the parties simply reaching a settlement agreement, either with or without the assistance of attorneys. Often this happens as a result of mediation. Parties go to a third-party mediator who assists them in attempting to resolve their case.

Is it necessary to have a legal separation in my divorce situation?

It’s frequently asked whether it’s mandatory for one of the parties to obtain a legal separation prior to a divorce being finalized. As the system works a legal separation and divorce have effectively the same result legally, other than the remaining marital status within the case of legal separation. However what the separation date is can be extremely important because it is a key variable in the division of property.

How long must I pay child support?

Payment of child support in a situation involving children is mandatory until the child reaches the age of eighteen. However if the child is still in high school at the time of the eighteenth birthday, then the support can continue up to age nineteen. Also, when a child’s permanent disability is at issue, the court can order the parents to provide continuing assistance indefinitely.

Is this divorce case ever going to end?

How long a divorce case will last is very unpredictable. Occassionally cases take just a few months, while others take a year or more, with most cases being somewhere in between the two.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.