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Free, official materials from the California courts and from CALDA that explain the process and list the forms.
What we cannot do. Under California law, a Legal Document Assistant prepares documents only at your specific direction. We cannot choose your forms, decide whether you qualify for a process, or recommend what you should do. That would be legal advice.
What we can do. We can give you published, attorney-approved materials that explain the procedures and list the forms needed. The resources below are free, official, and not ours. Read them, decide what you want to file, then tell us what to prepare.
If you are still unsure after reading them, or if your situation involves significant property, debt, or disagreement, speak with a licensed attorney or your court's free self-help center.
The Judicial Council's official one-page overview of the whole process, from starting your case to the final judgment. It lists the forms used at each step. Available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
Read FL-107-INFOcourts.ca.govA booklet explaining who can use California's simplified divorce process, what it requires, and what forms are involved. It includes worksheets for property and debts. The court requires you to read it before filing.
Read the FL-810 bookletcourts.ca.govThe court's own guide to which forms are used to start, respond to, and finish a divorce or legal separation, with an explanation of what each form is for.
Open the forms guidecourts.ca.govThe checklist the court uses for a default or uncontested judgment. It shows every document that may be required to finish the case.
Open FL-182courts.ca.govEvery California superior court has a self-help center where staff give free legal information and can help you understand the forms. This costs nothing.
Find your self-help centercourts.ca.govCALDA, the statewide professional association, explains what a Legal Document Assistant may and may not do, and how an LDA differs from an attorney.
Read CALDA's explanationcalda.orgThese resources are published by the Judicial Council of California and by the California Association of Legal Document Assistants (CALDA). Ven Document Services LLC does not author, control, or take responsibility for their content. Links open in a new tab.
These are the criteria published by the California courts, not our opinion. You decide which one describes your situation. We do not decide it for you.
| Process | The court says it is for | Agreement needed | We prepare it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summary Dissolution | Couples married under 5 years, with no children together, no real estate, under $7,000 of debt, and under $57,000 of property. Every one of the court's requirements must be true. | Both must agree on everything, including that neither will ever receive spousal support. | Summary Dissolution |
| Joint Petition | Couples who do not qualify for summary dissolution but agree on every single issue in the divorce. Both spouses file together and both sign. | Yes. Complete agreement on all issues. No formal service of papers is needed. | Joint Divorce Starter |
| Standard Divorce | Anyone who does not qualify for the processes above, or where there is any issue the spouses do not agree on, or a judge must decide something. | No. One spouse starts the case and the other must be formally served and given 30 days to respond. | Traditional Divorce Starter |
| Domestic Partnership Termination | Registered domestic partners who meet the summary dissolution requirements. This is filed with the Secretary of State, not a court. | Both must agree and both must sign. Original wet signatures and notarization are required. | Domestic Partnership Termination |
Criteria per the Judicial Council of California self-help pages and the FL-810 booklet. Always check the official source, amounts and rules can change.
This is the list the court publishes. Check off what you know to be true. Nothing is saved or sent to us, and this tool does not decide anything for you.
The court states that all of these must be true. If even one is not true, you cannot use the summary dissolution process.
Choose a fixed-scope service and complete the guided intake. The form screens scope as you answer. If you reach the end and submit, the required Notice and payment link are emailed automatically. Submitting the intake is not payment and does not start work.
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