What is the Fastest Way to Get a Divorce in Los Angeles?

In California, there are three ways to effectively end a marriage or domestic partnership; divorce, legal separation or annulment. Luckily, in California, both spouses do not need to agree to end the marriage or domestic partnership, but if they do agree, it can speed up the process considerably. Here’s information you need if you are looking for a quick divorce.

Divorce

This is also known as the dissolution of marriage and results in each spouse or domestic partner becoming single and legally able to re-marry at the end. The divorce process can be as short as six months, or take much longer. Of course, the divorce will take longer if the spouses have disputes over child support, custody and/or visitation rights, spousal support, division of property and who is responsible for debts incurred within the marriage.

Note that there is a streamlined process called summary dissolution available to those who have been married or in a registered domestic partnership for less than 5 years. The requirements necessary to qualify for summary dissolution are strict and vary for marriage and domestic partnerships. Summary dissolution is another form of divorce (not separation).

Legal Separation

Legal separation is not divorce and does not result in ending a marriage or allowing for re-marriage, and so it will not be discussed here.

Annulment

Annulment is a legal declaration by the court that a marriage or domestic partnership is not legally valid. Because the marriage or domestic partnership is not valid, after the annulment process, it is as if it never occurred. In order to qualify for annulment, you must have one of the following situations apply:

  • Marriage between two close blood relatives (incest)
  • A spouse is already married or in a domestic partnership (bigamy)
  • One spouse was under 18 at the time of marriage
  • Evidence of force or fraud used to coerce a spouse into marriage
  • A spouse was of unsound mind or physically incapable of consummating the relationship

All of the ways discussed to end a marriage or domestic partnership in California require a six month waiting period, which is mandated by California law. Therefore, if you want a quick divorce, the best plan of action is to come to an agreement about division of marital assets and custody/support of children, and contact individual divorce attorneys to proceed with the divorce process that best fits your needs. The experienced divorce attorneys at Gastelum Law can help you proceed through the divorce process as quickly as possible.