Thank you all for your responses! I was really frustrated when I wrote my last post, and I appreciate everyone taking the time to help. Here’s the latest:
Part 1: In California, my county manages child support. They can assist in issuing or enforcing a child support order, and I’ve submitted all necessary info to them. They have tools for garnishing wages and can even suspend licenses if payments aren’t made. The process takes about 3-4 months, and while I looked into an emergency request, I don’t qualify. The county services are free, but they only handle child support, not the full divorce process.
Part 2: I spoke with several paralegal services that help those who are self-represented. They mentioned that a significant number of divorces in LA County are self-represented, and I won’t be penalized for not having a lawyer. I plan to file the financial disclosures through a paralegal service for a flat fee of $450. This filing can be done without my ex’s participation, allowing the court to issue necessary orders.
The paralegal can also schedule a hearing to finalize all financial items and issue a Final Judgment in one go, which sounds almost too good to be true! Hearings are backlogged, so it might take 3-4 months, but with luck, I could be fully divorced by April 2025.
I’m also considering taking a Family Law paralegal course at a community college in January for just $150. This seems like a good investment, especially since I want to be better prepared for any future custody disputes.
The silver lining is that my ex isn’t actively fighting the system, which makes it a bit easier for me to stay on the offensive. Thank you again for all the advice!