 | Price Comparisons: Rental | | Sorry, the textbook you were looking for is not available as Rental, at any of the stores we searched. | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | Newly updated, How to Do Your Own Divorce in California covers everything a Californian needs to know about filing for divorce. Part one details how property can be divided and how to settle issues of custody, visitation and child support. Part two explains the court process step by step. Blank tear-out copies of all the court forms needed for an uncontested dissolution are included, along with a CD-ROM containing many resources including forms, worksheets, and a trial version of CalSupport software. |
Average Customer Rating:   old edition I tried to order the new edition but when I got the book it was an old edition. Perfect No-Brainer Bought this book the first time around this same time in 2000. Between the reading, the pre-printed forms, and the CD-ROM, it is incredibly simple, very easy to follow, and a no-brainer. Since Sweetie and I could only not agree on who was going to get the apt, it was very convenient. If you can agree on who gets what-which you two should since it is between the two of you and no-one else-then being able to type in the forms and print them was so cool. If one of you is unreasonable or is emotion-based instead of lets-just-move-on; then I do remember a chapter on how to resolve that part.
After direct Shipping from Nolo Press, I paid about $35. Sold it to a supermarket checker for $16 or so. Since I had only used the CD-ROM and not extracted any of the tear-out forms (why?), he got a complete pkg. Now it is time to clear out #2 and thank-fully Amazon has it for less than $20 w/Free Shipping. This time I will keep it as you never know... Great Guide I was encouraged to write this review as the result of recommending the book to a friend who is going through some of the post divorce legal infighting that keeps the standard of living high for attorneys.
I used an earlier version some years ago and it saved a huge amount of attorney fees but more importantly avoided the War of The Roses.
The book is not only a guide to a process which hopefully none of us experience twice in a lifetime. It's value is in the description of the process and perhaps as importantly the outcome of various situations.
Not sure if it is still available but there was a law firm associated with the publisher which offered couples legal counseling during the process at a nominal cost. The great value was they given a set of facts they would outline the minimum and maximum the court would award for any contested items. It was instantly obvious to all that the cost of the contest was far greater than the difference in probable outcomes and thus a spirit of compromise was encouraged.
They will also complete and file the forms for you at a nominal cost.
Highly recommended. Nolo is widely respected in the legal profession for the quality of their products although disparaged by those who make a living stoking the fires of acrimony. Good book I used the book. However If your spouse gets a Lawyer you have to get a Lawyer. The programs on CD cost about $25 for the full version but its worth to know what you are in for as far as vaginamony and Child support. You can do it all with this valuable title, Nolo Press was founded in 1971 specifically for the purpose of publishing the first edition of this title. The Nolo principle is that not all legal transactions require retention of a lawyer, and in the state of California, for an uncontested divorce between two parties, tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees can be saved with the purchase of this $30 title (which is regularly 30% off from Amazon).
This book is a step-by-step guide to the divorce process and each of the forms necessary for filing for divorce in California. The text explains the hows and whys of the filing process and warns of potential pitfalls that can cause filings to be rejected or invalidated in the future.
My husband and I separated after a two year marriage and worked amicably through the process with the aid of this book. We knew that we would save a bundle of money by avoiding hiring lawyers to do discovery on our behalf, and we wanted to split up our property and move on as painlessly as possible. We each purchased a copy of this book and used it to file all the forms in our county courthouse. There is a helpline for telephone consultations at a reasonable rate, and we spent a few hundred dollars to get advice on the Separation Agreement we had drafted together (detailing financial and personal property separation as well as our agreement on our joint mortgage). We got big bang for our buck by having a helpline lawyer personally go over our Separation Agreement and we were confident with filing all the paperwork ourselves.
This book is intended for unconstested, fairly amicable divorces. If one party is out to "get" the other, the services of a lawyer may be required. Nolo recommends mediation before litigation if at all possible, to save money and effort. The authors remind the reader that lawyers do not have the consumer's best interest at heart--their first priority is to protect themselves from malpractice lawsuits, and so they will be as thorough (and costly) as possible to meet that need.
If you are considering leaving your spouse and do not anticipate an amicable divorce, I would recommend purchasing Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce instead of this book. That has all of the overview information of this title, with additional specifics on mediation and litigation that will help your case if it is going to be in those arenas instead of the do-it-yourself category. |  |
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