About Irvine California
Our law firm is proud to be located in the wonderful city of Irvine, California. Irvine has a very rich and exciting history in terms of the geography, politics, demography, sports and law. While our law firm strives to serve our community, it is important to give recognition to the historical aspects of this city so we understand how to best serve its residents. It is also important to understand the history of law in Irvine.
History
Irvine was incorporated on December 28, 1971; however the city had been planned since beginning in the 1960s primarily by the Irvine Company. The sprawling city is adjacent to Tustin, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. The popular Disneyland theme park is nearby and hundreds of popular movies have been filmed in Irvine including Demolition Man, Dodgeball: a True Underdog Story, Kiss the Girls, Iron Man, Oceans 11, Transformers, and the original Planet of the Apes.
Irvine was chosen in 2008 by CNNMoney.com as the fourth best place to live in the United States due to the highly rated public schools and excellent job opportunities. It also is at or near the top of America’s safest city every year. Interestingly, the majority of registered voters are Republican as opposed to Democrats.
Business
The city of Irvine sits in Orange County, California and is home to over 240,000 people. The city has a bustling business environment and although the population is meager as compared to other large cities in California, Irvine is an extremely popular place for business. Not only is our family law and divorce firm located in Irvine, just across the street from John Wayne Airport, there are hundreds of other law firms and offices that call Irvine home. Additionally, there are some huge corporations that are headquartered in Irvine including:
- Ruby’s Diner
- Taco Bell
- Western Mutual Insurance Group
- Broadcom Corporation
- Emachines
- Gateway, Inc.
- A Division of Ford Motor Company (Design Center)
- LA Fitness
For more information about business in Irvine, visit the Irvine Chamber of Commerce page. The city has a Facebook page that has received over 37,000 likes.
Universities
The city has several large universities notably including California State University Fullerton and the University of California at Irvine which is home to the UCI School of Law. Students from all over California attend school at the more than dozen large universities and call Irvine home. The influx of new students ensures a continuing, diverse workforce and the curriculum at these universities is influenced by the significant business culture in Irvine. When students graduate, the local job prospects are significant.
Legal Environment
Along with the thousands of lawyers practicing law within Irvine city limits, there are a number of court houses that serve the residents of Irvine and surrounding Orange County cities. The Superior Court of California, County of Orange maintains five locations within the county including:
700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701
341 The City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868-3205
Harbor Justice Center – Newport Beach Facility
4601 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, CA 92660-2595
1275 North Berkeley Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92832-1258
8141 13th Street, Westminster, CA 92683-4593
Our firm practices primarily at the Lamoreaux Justice Center, which is where all of the family law cases are heard for anyone living anywhere in Orange County, with minor exception. There is literally hundreds of law firms located within Irvine city limits, and over 300 of those firms are either solo practicing lawyers or firms with less than nine attorneys. There are over 10 law firms with more than 50 attorneys, and all of these law firms, including the small firms, practice in a wide array of legal fields including personal injury, intellectual property, criminal law, business law, labor and employment, and family law. It is safe to say that all of your legal needs could be met by the various attorneys located in Irvine that are experts in their field. Our law firm’s partners are certified family law specialists.
Divorce in Irvine
Whether you live or work in Irvine, or in any of the nearby cities like Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, or Laguna, and if you are contemplating a divorce in Orange County there are several things that you should know and understand. First, your divorce will take place at the Lamoreaux Justice Center, located in Orange, and when you file the case you will be assigned one of the family law judges located there. We have had experience with nearly all of the judges, although they are often transferred or reassigned and new judges are routinely brought in to replace them. There are only a couple of forms you will need to file your case, most importantly a Petition and Summons and if children are involved there is a declaration concerning where your children have lived in the past five years and if there are any other legal cases that involve your children.
While you search for a divorce attorney or family law firm to represent you before filing your case, you should take the time to read this guide that we have prepared for you to learn how to select the best and most appropriate attorney for you. Keep in mind that all divorce attorneys are not created equal.
Once your case is filed, the pleadings and notice of the case must be served on the respondent, also called the defendant. Once served, the respondent has 30 days to file his or her response or risk a default. If the responding party lives in Irvine, or in any nearby city, the best way to serve them will be by personal service, which means that they are served when an adult who is not interested in the case (such as a process server) hands them the papers. Sometimes the petitioner will let the respondent know that the papers are coming, and other times they do not want to let them know ahead of time so that service can be accomplished more easily.
Once the petition is filed, the respondent has been served and he or she has filed their response, each party is required to complete a preliminary declaration of disclosure, which is a full, complete and accurate description of that party’s income, expenses, assets and debts. There are several required forms to accomplish these disclosures, which must include attachments and supporting documentation. Each party has the right to file a motion for temporary orders with the court as well, called a Request for Order. When a Request for Order is filed, a hearing date is set and the parties will appear before one of the family law judges at the Lamoreaux Justice Center to receive court orders with regard to any request being made. Most commonly, people going through divorce in Irvine file requests for child custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, and domestic violence.
If a party is unsure whether they have full, complete and accurate information from the other party they are allowed to conduct discovery. Discovery is a method to gain information that is necessary to help that party in the divorce case. Information can be obtained from the other party through specific demands for documents, special interrogatories or depositions, or information can be gained from third parties by sending a subpoena or taking a deposition. For more information about discovery, click here.
And Irvine divorce case is finalized when the parties reach a fall and complete settlement in writing, often through a document called a marital settlement agreement or stipulated judgment, or if no settlement is reached the parties will go to trial in the court will make the ultimate decision on all issues.
For more information about divorce, click here.
To schedule a free consultation with our Irvine divorce lawyers, contact our office today. We are conveniently located in the heart of Irvine and offer free, no hassle parking.