For more than 20 years, the Law Firm of Chang & Lee has helped families in Pasadena navigate the personal, emotional, and financial challenges associated with divorce. We realize there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to family law. That’s why we take the time to get to know our clients and listen to what their goals and hopes are for the future. Our personalized approach allows us to create customized solutions that meet the needs of families while helping them move forward in their lives.

The divorce attorneys at the Law Firm of Chang & Lee are highly respected in the Pasadena legal community and well-versed in the operation of the local court system. They can guide you through all aspects of divorce from the initial filing of a divorce petition to the final judgment. Skilled in negotiation, mediation and litigation, our divorce lawyers are prepared to handle any type of divorce.

Our goal is to help you and your spouse resolve issues peacefully. The last thing you or your children need is a long, drawn out and bitter court battle. Although we always hope for a peaceful transition, we recognize that compromise isn’t always possible. In these cases, we will not hesitate to fiercely represent your interests in court.

• Equitable distribution of marital assets and debts
• Payment of spousal support
• Child support and time sharing
• Alimony and temporary support
• The use and possession of the marital home
• Temporary orders
• Parenting plans
• Modifications of orders

If you are considering divorce or were served divorce papers, it’s important to get legal counsel early in the process to ensure your immediate and long-term interests are protected.

In a California divorce, the spouse seeking a divorce does not have to prove that the other spouse was guilty of any wrongdoing. Citing “irreconcilable differences” is all that is needed to proceed with a divorce.

In order for you to file for a divorce in Pasadena, you do need to meet certain residency requirements, including:

• you and your spouse have both lived in California for no less than six (6) months
• you have both lived in your current county for no less than three (3) months.

Pasadena Family Courthouse Location

The Pasadena Courthouse handles family law cases for Pasadena and other Los Angeles counties

Pasadena Courthouse
  300 East Walnut Ave.
  Pasadena, CA 91101
  http://www.lacourt.org/courthouse/info/pas

You and your spouse are required to prepare and exchange financial disclosures, which are documents that fully disclose all your income, expenses, assets, and debts. The preliminary documents include the Income & Expense Declaration form (FL-150) and the Schedule of Assets and Debts (FL-142).

This is a crucial step in the divorce process because it helps to identify the entire community estate. It also serves as a guideline for formulating a fair property settlement as well as spousal and child support. 

If these forms are filled out incorrectly, it can lead to devastating consequences. For instance if you forgot to list an asset or intentionally tried to “hide” an asset, you could be found in contempt of court or guilty of perjury and lose your right to a portion of the estate.

A divorce attorney at the Law Firm of Chang & Lee. can oversee this process to make sure that doesn’t happen. In addition, we can help you gather all the financial documentation needed to support the disclosures. This may include title documents, deed to house, paystubs, credit card statements, bank statements, insurance policies, etc.

Settlement Conference: A settlement conference is considered as the “half-way” point in a divorce case. A judge schedules this conference after you and your spouse have complete the financial disclosures and divorce discovery. The sole purpose of the conference is to try to settle the outstanding issues in your case so you can avert trial.

A lawyer at the Law Firm of Chang & Lee. can represent you at a settlement conference and make sure your wishes are explicitly communicated. If a settlement cannot be reached, your case will proceed to trial.

Trial: At trial, arguments from both sides will be presented. A judge will review the evidence and testimony and make decisions on all relevant issues in your divorce.

Spousal support may be awarded if there is a large disparity of income in your marriage. This is often the case when one spouse has been out of the workforce due to raising the kids. In fact, spousal support assists that spouse in maintaining a certain standard of living. A divorce attorney at the Law Firm of Chang & Lee can assist in calculating an accurate and fair amount of spousal support to be either paid or received.

In Pasadena there is temporary and permanent spousal support.

Temporary Spousal Support: Payable from the date the divorce petition was filed to acquiring final judgment of divorce. Additionally, temporary spousal support is calculated by a computerized formula.

Permanent Spousal Support: If you were married for less than 10 years, support is ordered for half the length of the marriage. For example, if you were married for 8 years, support would be paid for 4 years. If your marriage lasted longer than 10 years, spousal support can be paid for an indefinite period of time.

In addition to the length of marriage, the court will weigh several other factors before granting support, including: age, income and earning capacity of each spouse, overall health of each spouse, balance of hardships, future financial projections of each spouse, history of domestic violence, and more.

Child support is calculated via a computerized formula that considers the amount of children who need support, amount of time each parent has with the children, and the net disposal income of each parent. Certain mandatory and discretionary add-ons and deductions are taken into account, such as daycare and work-related expenses.

Child support terminates when a child turns 18 years old except when a child is still a full-time high school student and lives with a parent. In this situation, child support would continue until the child turns 19 or graduates from high school, whichever occurs first. California child support also terminates if a child marries, joins the military, emancipates, or dies.

Mediating Child Custody and Visitation Issues

If you and your spouse cannot reach a child custody agreement, the California Family Code requires you to attend mediation in order to resolve your differences. Mediation involves sitting down with a neutral mediator who will facilitate communication between you and your spouse.

This is a confidential, informal process that focuses on developing a child custody arrangement and parenting plan that is in the best interests of your child. Therefore, if you are not comfortable with the outcome of mediation, you are under no obligation to agree. In fact, failure to reach compromise will result in a judge making decisions about your child’s future.

Prior to the mandatory mediation, you must attend an online mediation parent education program. The “Our Children First” Program takes approximately 60 minutes and is usually completed in a single session.