Definitions

Dissolution:	Commonly known as a “Divorce.” In California, it takes a minimum of 6 months for the marriage status to be terminated.
Joint LegalCustody:	Who is to make decisions regarding the child’s health, education and welfare. Most often the court orders joint legal custody.
Legal Document Assistant:	Someone other than an attorney who prepares any legal document for you. They must be registered and bonded with the County and State of California and meet other criteria under the law to be called a Legal Document Assistant (LDA).
Legal Separation:	The parties remain legally married but orders are made for child or spousal support, child custody, visitation and division of property.
Marital Settlement Agreement:	A written agreement confirming your separate property, dividing your community property, spelling out your rights, as well as settling issues such as child and spousal support, and child custody and visitation.
Nullity of Marriage:	Formerly called an annulment, a nullity declares that the marriage never existed based on grounds of fraud, prior existing marriage and other criteria. If a nullity is granted, it is final on the day of the hearing.
Paralegal:	A paralegal is a person that works directly under the supervision of an attorney and who has received training in paralegal studies. The primary difference between a Paralegal and a Legal Document Assistant (LDA) is that when a LDA works without the assistance of an attorney, they are called LDA’s. When that same person works under the supervision of an attorney, they are called Paralegals.
Paternity:	Legally establishes who the biological father is of the child.
Physical Custody:	Who the child lives with most of the time. Most often the court grants physical custody to one parent.
Prenuptial Agreement:	An agreement made before marriages usually to resolve issues of support and property division if the marriage ends in divorce or by the death of a spouse.
Postnuptial Agreement:	An agreement entered into after marriage defining each spouse’s property rights in the event of death or divorce.
Summary Dissolution:	A simple type of divorce that takes six months to be final. You must meet certain requirements to be eligible for this type of divorce. (See Cost of Services for requirements)