Los Angeles divorce lawyers who fight for your family.

California courts decide legal and physical custody on the child's best interest - health, safety, welfare, and each parent's ability to share. In LA County, contested custody goes through mandatory free mediation with Family Court Services before a judge hears it. Parents who arrive prepared - with a parenting plan, a schedule, and a documented history - walk out with more. We build that record from the first week.

Child support runs on the statewide guideline formula (Family Code §4055): both parents' net disposable incomes and the timeshare, computed by court-certified calculators. The dispute is rarely about the formula itself - it is about the numbers that go into it, because self-employment income, entertainment-industry earnings, RSUs, bonuses, and "creative" expense claims all move the result. We make sure the income that goes into the calculation is the real income.

Long-term spousal support is not a formula. Judges weigh the Family Code §4320 factors - the marital standard of living, earning capacity, contributions to the other's career, age and health, the length of the marriage, documented domestic violence, and the expectation that a supported spouse becomes self-supporting within a reasonable period (generally half the length of a shorter marriage). Every one of those factors is an argument, and we make them all.

Family Code §2030 lets the court order one spouse to pay the other's attorney fees so both sides can actually litigate. If your spouse controls the money and is counting on you running out of it, we bring that motion rather than letting you accept a bad deal because the funds ran dry. And if you're the earner, we make sure a fee request doesn't become a blank check.

Anyone who quotes you a number for a contested divorce before hearing your case is guessing. What we can tell you honestly: the court charges $435 to file, Los Angeles divorce attorneys bill several hundred dollars an hour, a genuinely uncontested case with an agreement runs a small fraction of a contested one, and a contested case costs whatever the two of you decide to fight about. What's important to us isn't billable hours - it's the outcome of your case.

We tell you what your case will cost at the consultation, and we scope uncontested matters at a fixed price where we can. If your spouse controls the accounts, remember §2030 - the court can make them fund your lawyer.

The floor is fixed: 6 months and 1 day from service before you are legally single, no exceptions. An agreed case can have everything signed and submitted well inside that window, so the divorce is final the day the clock allows. A contested Los Angeles case realistically runs a year or more - discovery, mediation, settlement conferences, and if it comes to it, trial.

Early strategy compresses timelines: the cases that drag are the ones where the first moves were wrong - the wrong requests, the wrong disclosures, a custody fight picked before the record supported it. When you work with us, strategy starts the day you call.

Where your case will actually be heard.

The county seat of family law - downtown, blocks from our office's side of town, and the busiest matrimonial operation in America.

Westside filings - Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Malibu, Pacific Palisades.

San Fernando Valley family law - Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Van Nuys.

Northwest Valley and Santa Clarita-area matters.

South Bay - Torrance, the beach cities, Palos Verdes.

Long Beach and the harbor communities.

South-central county filings.

Pasadena and the western San Gabriel Valley.

The eastern county - Pomona and surrounding cities.

Southeast county family law matters.

Lancaster, Palmdale, and the Antelope Valley.

Every kind of divorce case Los Angeles produces.

When custody, support, or property is genuinely in dispute - prepared for trial from day one, because that is how better settlements get signed.

Fixed-scope, fast, and reviewed by a lawyer who reads every line before you sign away anything.

Business valuations, stock and RSU packages, real estate portfolios, and the forensic accountants who untangle them.

Legal and physical custody, parenting plans, and the Family Court Services mediation every contested LA custody case goes through.

The §4055 guideline formula - and the fight over what income actually goes into it.

Temporary and long-term support under the §4320 factors, on either side of the table.

Community versus separate, tracing, the house, the pensions, the business - the 50/50 fight over which half.

Drafted to survive scrutiny, or challenged when they shouldn't survive it.

Restructuring the deal mid-marriage - with the heightened duties California imposes between spouses.

A negotiated divorce with counsel in your corner - faster, cheaper, and private.

Property, custody, and support orders without ending the marriage - and a residency-clock strategy when you can't file for divorce yet.

DVROs on an emergency timeline - protection for the abused, defense against false accusations, and the custody consequences of both.

When one parent wants to leave LA with the children - the hardest custody cases California courts hear.

Support and custody orders changed when life changes - and enforced when an ex ignores them.

Divorce lawyers near you - wherever in LA you are.

The firm from the Netflix series - with an office on S Catalina St.

Spodek Law Group P.C. is a second-generation firm, practicing since 1976. Todd Spodek is the trial lawyer Netflix dramatized in Inventing Anna - the same lawyer national media calls when the biggest cases break. Our Los Angeles office at 611 S Catalina St anchors the firm's West Coast practice, with Chad Lewin, our LA of-counsel, bringing 23+ years in California courtrooms. We have experience handling cases nationwide, ranging from Los Angeles to NYC - a true, coast-to-coast practice.

Why does that matter for your divorce? Because high-conflict custody fights, high-asset property battles, and spouses who hide money respond to counsel the other side believes will actually try the case. Many of the cases we're known for handling are those others deemed unwinnable - and that reputation follows us to every settlement table.

We are also one of the few law firms in the country with a fully online client portal - all communications, invoicing, and document submission handled entirely online - which is how we serve clients coast to coast, and keep you proactively updated throughout your entire case.

• Second-generation firm · since 1976
• 1,100+ five-star Google reviews
• $500M+ in marital assets protected
• As seen on Netflix, CNN, Fox News, NY Post, Newsweek
• Offices in Los Angeles and New York · 24/7 availability

Risk-free, by phone, video, or at the office. Ask anything, for as long as it takes. You leave knowing your venue, your options, and what it costs.

The FL-100 is filed at your assigned courthouse - or the FL-700 jointly, if you agree - and service starts both the response window and the waiting period. The ATROs are now in force on both sides.

Sworn declarations of every asset, debt, and income stream - and when the numbers don't add up, subpoenas and forensic accounting. Temporary custody and support orders hold the ground in the meantime.

Custody disputes go through Family Court Services mediation; the financial case gets negotiated from documented strength. Most divorces settle - and settle better when the other side knows you will try the case.

A signed agreement becomes the judgment; a contested case goes to a family law judge. Either way, your marital status ends no earlier than 6 months and 1 day after service - and the judgment then runs everything after.

In the news.

1,100+ five-star reviews from real clients.

Divorce clients cite responsiveness, custody results, and senior-partner involvement - not generic law-firm praise.

“She did a great job representing me during my divorce. She was professional, knowledgeable, and supportive throughout the process. She stayed on task of getting the negotiations completed.”

“I came to Spodek when everyone told me I had no chance of getting custody. Not only did they prove everyone wrong, but they secured full custody and a favorable financial settlement.”

“Todd Spodek, Alex Zhik and the rest of their team are excellent and respectful. They always get back to you very quickly and took care of me as if I was their own family.”

“Their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts were instrumental in securing a victorious outcome in what was an incredibly challenging case. I am truly grateful for their exceptional service.”

“Todd personally handled my case and was available 24/7 during critical moments. Their strategic approach, thorough preparation, and courtroom presence were impressive.”

“By the time our free consultation was over, we left at ease. All our questions were answered and we had a sense of relief. Todd changed our lives.”

Talk to us today.

Tell us where your divorce stands - not started, just served, stuck in the middle, or headed to trial. Answered within 24 hours, guaranteed. Some stories are better told out loud -

A person answers - not a service. Day or night, including weekends. Some stories are better told out loud.

Use the form above. Answered within 24 hours, guaranteed - and read by a lawyer, not routed to a call center.

Los Angeles, CA 90005 - Wilshire Center. By appointment; video consultations available anywhere in California.