Getting a divorce in Riverside

Superior Court, Riverside County provides helpful links, resources

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State overview

Please see “Updated: Divorce in California” to read about the role of an attorney, benefits of professional counseling and the need to urgently address any domestic violence issues that may be a part of your situation. The article also includes statewide links to domestic violence resources, legal self-help, residency requirements and other basic information.

Local resources for help with domestic violence

Residents of Riverside and Riverside County have several agencies and facilities that can help with domestic violence, including these online resources:

• Riverside Police Department;
• Riverside County District Attorney;
• Superior Court of California, Riverside County;
• Violence Prevention Resource Center;
• Riverside County, Department of Mental Health;
• Alternatives to Domestic Violence (geared toward military families).

Superior Court: Riverside County

According to the court’s Family Law site, “The Family Law Division of the Riverside Superior Court handles cases in which people are ending a marriage or registered domestic partnership, identifying a child’s legal parents, determining custody and visitation issues, establishing or enforcing child and spousal support or dealing with domestic violence issues.”

Locations & contact info

• Riverside
• Hemet
• Indio
• Blythe

Basic information

According to the court, “There are 3 main ways to end a marriage or registered domestic partnership in California: divorce, legal separation, and annulment. It is not necessary for both spouses or domestic partners to agree to end the marriage. Either spouse or partner can decide to end the marriage, and the other spouse/partner, even if he or she does not want to get a divorce, cannot stop the process by refusing to participate in the case. If a spouse or domestic partner does not participate in the divorce case, the other spouse/partner will still be able to get a “default” judgment and the divorce will go through.”

Among other tips, the court also points out benefits in hiring an experienced, trained divorce attorney: “After you decide how you want to end your marriage or domestic partnership, you need to plan your case ahead of time. Think about how you are going to handle your case. Planning before you start and talking to a lawyer can save you time and money as you go through the court process. And keep in mind that, normally, it does not matter who is the first to file the divorce or separation case. The court does not give any preference to the first person to file or a disadvantage to the person who responds to the case.”

Other helpful links

• Family law facilitator;
• Online self-help center;
• “The California Domestic Partnership Law: What it Means for You and Your Family.”

Free evaluation

No matter your marital situation, we can help. If you’re ready to begin the search for a compatible, well trained, experienced divorce attorney, you can start with our free case evaluation. If you need more information, please browse our site, using the tabs at the top of the page.