Ending a Marriage and Dividing Property in California

Moving Forward with Your Life When the Marriage Is Over

It’s never easy to face the prospect of starting over, but when the alternative is staying in an abusive or unworkable situation, it’s time to face facts and take action. At the family law offices of Kempen & Company, we help people through the process of divorce so they can begin life anew.

Contact our Modesto or Castro Valley family law office for a free consultation and speak to divorce attorney Bernie Kempen about your situation. We help people with divorce, legal separation, and annulment, and the division of property that comes along with them.

Legal Options in Divorce

While divorce is far more common, some couples choose annulment or legal separation instead, often for religious reasons. With an annulment, it is as if your marriage never occurred. The grounds for a legal annulment differ from those of a religious annulment, and we can explain them to you in more detail when you speak with family law attorney Bernie Kempen. In a legal separation, your marriage continues but your legal and financial affairs are separated. You will still need to divide your marital property and make decisions about spousal support.

California Divorce

California is a no-fault divorce state, so a person can get divorced because of “irreconcilable differences” with no need to demonstrate that someone was at fault. But there still are actions that could be considered “fault,” and those can have an influence on the judge’s decision about property division and child custody.

At Kempen & Company, we believe that we serve your interests best when we work tenaciously to settle your case before it goes to a family law judge. Going to divorce court is more costly, and you have less control over the outcome of your case, when it is up to the judge to decide. Whenever possible, we empower our clients to help shape the agreements that will affect their future. When helpful, we participate in the collaborative law process.

Not every case can be settled or negotiated outside of court. When the other party is being unreasonable, domestic violence is an issue, or no acceptable compromise is possible, we will zealously argue your case in California divorce court.

Division of Marital Property, Assets, and Debts

A fair and reasonable division of property can only be reached when both parties have an accurate understanding of the value of existing assets and debts. We make sure that our clients have complete and accurate information when they enter into negotiations or when we take a property division case to court. That can mean using expert resources to track missing income or property, or to give an accurate valuation of property.

We also work with clients who have post-divorce property disputes and debt concerns. We can often take your case back to court to get a prior court order modified or set aside.

Contact divorce lawyer Bernie Kempen at our Modesto or Castro Valley law office to learn more about how Kempen & Company can help resolve your property division issue—always with an eye toward helping you get a fresh start in your new life.