Defining Divorce, Legal Separation, Annulment for Los Angeles County
If you live in the Los Angeles county and you decide to get a divorce, you will need to ask yourself it there are other options. There are other methods in which you can disassociate yourself from your marriage partner. Divorce is one way, so is a legal separation and an annulment. There are differences between all these forms of ending the relationship. Here’s how they differ but for the strict legal definition please consult a Los Angeles divorce attorney.
When you get a divorce, it legally ends your marriage. You will be single again and you can marry or become a domestic partner to someone else. You can ask the judge for orders like spousal support, division of property and other orders. If you have children, you can ask for child support, custody and visitation rights.
In the case of legal separation, it does not end the marriage so you cannot remarry or enter a partnership with someone else. Some couples might prefer legal separation to divorce for religious reasons or other factors but they can still decide on the division of property rights and parenting issues.
In the case of annulment, a court may grant you one if it determines that the marriage was not legally valid in the first place such as an incestuous relationship or bigamy was involved. Other grounds for an annulment include the use of force to enter the marriage, the partner was too young, or the partner was already married. Annulments are hard to obtain. In seeking a marriage annulment, you will need to go a hearing before a judge.
If you are seeking to end a relationship in one of the three methods as described, you will need to meet the California’s residency requirements. If you are unsure if you meet these requirements or have other questions, it is best to pose them to a Los Angeles divorce attorney. Los Angeles divorce lawyers can be of tremendous help as they know the family law of the state and county. They can make sure all your forms are properly filled at the local level and filed. They can also represent you in contesting for the division of property, spousal support and child custody and visitations. The bottom line is, having an experienced divorce lawyer in Los Angeles working for you saves you a lot of added headache and grief in an already difficult time.