The Bledsoe Firm

While there are variations of attitudes and conduct of people who have Borderline Personality Disorder "BPD" those with BPD are often very charismatic and compelling people. They have been demanding and often receiving special treatment for most of their lives. It is important to have an attorney who understands BPD. A BPD will not likely ever voluntarily settle their case. Instead, they often will demand a trial believing that they can sway the judge to their point of view. There are specific tactics to dealing with a BPD spouse. Very few attorneys understand BPD. If your spouse is BPD, it is imperative that you have an attorney who understands BPD.

Yes. You cannot refuse to let the child(ren) see the other parent just because the other parent is delinquent on child support. The custody/visitation orders are made for the benefit and best interests of the child(ren). Children need frequent and continuing contact with both of their parents.

Yes. Provided that you have filled out the preliminary financial disclosure forms (and in some cases taken preliminary action to put a hold on retirement plan assets) your attorney can ask the court to terminate your marriage through a written motion. The court will most likely terminate grant your divorce restoring you to the status of a single person. This is helpful if you want to move forward as a single person. But, the actual termination of your marital status will not take effect until six months after the petition has been served.

Filing for divorce first can give you a big advantage. The spouse who files for divorce first is called the "Petitioner". The spouse who files second is called the "Respondent". Most cases have a trial at the end where the Court makes final decisions about important case issues such as which spouse gets custody of the child(ren), how much support one spouse pays the other and how the community property is divided. The spouse that is the petitioner gets to put his or her case on first. That means that they get to tell their story first and present their witnesses and exhibits. The party that presents their case first gets to speak first. They also get the majority of the time to present. This is a huge advantage. If you know you need to file for divorce, be the spouse who files first.

Legal Custody is the ability to make major decisions for the chlid(ren) pertaining to health, education and welfare. These decisions include where the child attends school, if the child practices a certain religion, whether the child has surgery or other medical procedures or dental treatment such as orthodontics. These decisions also include whether the child gets a drivers license or a passport. In most cases parents are given joint legal custody meaning that together they decide the above issues. If they cannot agree ultimately a court will decide these matters. However, the court order must state which specific areas the parents must agree on. If you are a parent it is important to get joint legal custody. Physical custody pertains to where the child lives and how much time the child spends with either parent. The more equally the child resides with both parents the more likely it is that the parents have joint legal custody as opposed to one of then having sole physical custody

A person getting a divorce does not always need an attorney who specializes in family law. Somedivorces are very simple and can be done with an attorney who is not a family while specialist. But if you are fighting over your kids and/or your money, you are really fighting for your life. It is crucial to have a family law specialist attorney representing you. For one thing, your spouse will probably hire an attorney who specializes in family law. And attorney who does not specialize in family law is going to be a disadvantage when litigating against an attorney who is a specialist and understands the intricacies of the law. Not to mention the fact that the family law specialist attorney has documented knowledge of the law and demonstrated experience. It is a terrible feeling to be in court litigating your divorce case and realizing that your spouse's attorney has more credibility and gravitas in your attorney. Do it right by hiring the right attorney first place.

It takes a minimum of six (6) months and and one day from the time that your spouse is served with the Summons and Petition for dissolution of marriage. There is a six month waiting period in the State of California before a marriage can be dissolved. Even if a full settlement is arrived at quickly, the "married" status of the parties will not change to single until six months have gone by.