In California How Long Does It Take To Get Divorced And What Is The Process?

In California it takes a minimum of 6 months and 1 day from the date of service to be divorced.  The petitioner will file the divorce and serve the respondent.  The respondent has 30 days to respond.  If the respondent responds then in most cases the divorce is contested.  If it is contested then either the petitioner or the respondent will get a court date and both parties will go first to mediation and then meet in front of the judge at the hearing.  The judge will then make a ruling regarding the issues which would finalize the divorce.  If the respondent, however, does not respond then a default can be entered and, in most cases, the petitioner will go to court before the judge to finalize all issues regarding the divorce.  There is also a third possibility which is that both parties will enter into a Marital Settlement Agreement which will state how all issues need to be resolved.  This agreement will avoid a court appearance and would be filed with the final divorce documents.  When the divorce is finalized, both the petitioner and the respondent will get a form in the mail that the judge will stamp with a date as to when the divorce will be finalized.  This is a very important paper and should be kept in a safe place.