When you're facing a spouse who fights you on custody, support, and every account statement, you need lawyers who plan for the courtroom from the first meeting. California is a no-fault state, which means the court won't reward you for proving bad behavior, so contested divorces are won through preparation - thorough discovery, forensic accounting where the money is murky, credible witnesses, and motions filed on time at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Spodek Law Group P.C. is a second-generation firm that has handled hard-fought litigation since 1976, and managing partner Todd Spodek is the trial lawyer Netflix dramatized in Inventing Anna. We build your case for trial from day one, because that posture is usually what produces a fair settlement.
What makes a divorce contested in California.
A divorce is contested when you and your spouse disagree on any issue the court has to decide, whether that is custody, support, or who keeps the house. The case starts when one spouse files and serves the FL-100 petition and FL-110 summons, and the other has 30 days to respond with an FL-120 before a default judgment becomes possible. The summons also carries automatic restraining orders under Family Code §2040, which bar either of you from taking the children out of state, transferring or hiding property, changing insurance beneficiaries, or making extraordinary purchases without five business days' notice.
How we litigate contested divorces in LA Superior Court.
Contested cases move through request for order hearings, where judges set temporary custody and support that often shapes the final outcome, so we take those early hearings as seriously as trial itself. We use depositions, subpoenas, and forensic accountants to pin down income and assets, and when your spouse controls the money we ask the court to shift attorney fees under Family Code §2030 so you can afford to litigate on equal footing. If custody is disputed, LA County requires mediation with Family Court Services before a judge will hear it, and we prepare you for that session carefully.
The timeline, the six-month rule, and settling from strength.
Under Family Code §2339, your marital status cannot end until at least six months and one day after your spouse is served or appears, and no judge can waive that waiting period. Contested cases in Los Angeles usually take longer than that, sometimes much longer when custody evaluations or business valuations are involved, and we are honest with you about the realistic timeline from the start. Most contested divorces still settle before trial, but the settlements worth signing come after the other side understands you are prepared to try the case, which is exactly how we build every file.
