Solving Complex Family Law Issues with Creative Strategies

Newport Beach Divorce Lawyer

No one expects their walk down the aisle to end in divorce court, but life sometimes takes people on new paths. When divorce becomes the inevitable end of your marriage journey, you need a Newport Beach divorce lawyer with years of experience navigating California divorce law.

Whether you’re the petitioner or respondent in your Orange County divorce case, you shouldn’t face the complex legal process without skilled representation. At Moradi Saslaw Family Law Attorneys, we work closely with each client with a resolution-based approach but aren’t afraid to litigate aggressively when needed to achieve each client’s desired outcomes.

If you’re ready to file the petition or you’ve been served with divorce papers in Newport Beach, a seasoned Orange County divorce attorney from Moradi Saslaw Family Law Attorneys is ready to guide you through the legal system, offer experienced counsel, and advocate for your rights in every step of the process.

Why Choose Our Newport Beach, California Divorce Lawyers?

We are a full-service family law firm with experience litigating and negotiating complex divorces and domestic partnership dissolutions in California. Since 2009, Moradi Saslaw has been committed to helping people across California resolve their family law matters.

  • We understand more than family law: Experienced in the high-asset landscapes of Orange County, we know the best way to effectively support our clients, from doing an analysis of dividing stock options and restricted stock, untangling limited partnership interests, or even working with a forensic accountant.
  • We’re well-versed in custody matters: Our strategies are all about your children’s best interests, including helping you and your partner become successful co-parents when possible.
  • When we say team, we mean it: We have weekly roundtable strategy sessions to review our client cases. Being able to talk through strategy options with the entire team helps us think creatively, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible solutions for their complex situations.
  • We are straightforward with our clients: We tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Our attorneys will guide you through the process and answer any questions before, throughout and after the journey of your case.

Meet Moradi Saslaw

Your Newport Beach Divorce Attorneys

moradi saslaw

Moradi Saslaw is comprised of premier divorce lawyers with a strong record of courtroom success and negotiated settlements. Whether your needs are simple asset division or a basic custody agreement, or more intricate matters such as an analysis of dividing stock options, limited partnership interests, or a contested custody dispute, we develop creative strategies to meet your goals. Our organized and thorough approach achieves results.

Awards & Memberships

Moradi Saslaw Awards & Memberships 2024. Best Law Firms United States 2024. California Bar: Family Law Board Certified Specialist. Avvo Rating 10.0 Superb.

I highly recommend the firm if you have any family law needs.

Kiana represented me in my divorce and was fantastic. She’s tough when she needs to be, but is also easily approachable and capable of navigating very sensitive issues. There were some complicated issues in my divorce and I was impressed at her knowledge of the law and ability to explain it to me in simple terms. I highly recommend the firm if you have any family law needs.

– S.B.

I guarantee that you will not regret it. He is truly an outstanding lawyer, and his track record and the awards he has attest to his excellence.

I hired Adam Neufer with Moradi Saslaw Firm to help finalize my divorce and resolve the custody issues with my ex, and I cannot say enough good things about my experience with the firm or the care & professionalism I was treated with from Adam. He is an excellent lawyer, who treated my case with attentiveness and provided me with sound counsel, responded to my questions and emails very promptly, and successfully finalized my divorce outside of the court. I highly recommend Adam to anyone who is going through a divorce or needs legal counsel for a family law issue.

– Majda

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Understanding The California Divorce Process

California is a marital property divorce state with complicated laws for dividing separate and marital property during a divorce. Family courts in California make all family law decisions in the divorce process with the children’s best interests as their highest priority. Before you step into the divorce process, it’s important to understand how the legal system works for your Newport Beach divorce. After the initial petition and response, the court requires both parties to fill out full financial disclosures. Newport Beach divorce attorneys for both parties have access to these documents during the discovery phase before the divorce hearing.

Spouses can handle their California divorce (dissolution of marriage) in one of two ways:

A Divorce Settlement Agreement

The best-case scenario for divorcing spouses is to draft a settlement and agree to the terms of their divorce between themselves and their Newport Beach divorce attorneys without an impartial judge deciding for them. This is an uncontested divorce and requires negotiating terms such as:

  • The retention of their separate assets and equal distribution of marital assets
  • Child custody and parenting time schedule
  • Child support
  • Spousal support (alimony)

Individual divorces may also have unique requirements to settle, such as which spouse retains the family home, or who keeps the pets. When couples can negotiate their own agreement with the help of their Newport Beach divorce lawyers and mediation, it streamlines and personalizes the process. It also keeps costs at a minimum, saves contentious litigation in court, and keeps personal information out of the public record. Once the spouses draft a mutually acceptable agreement, your Newport Beach divorce attorney from Moradi Saslaw will diligently ensure the paperwork is correct and precise and file it in the correct jurisdiction. Typically, a judge will sign off on a divorce settlement that follows the law and isn’t egregiously unfair to one spouse.

Contested Divorce in California Court

While an out-of-court agreement drafted and signed by both spouses is the best-case scenario in a Newport Beach divorce, a divorce contested on one or more issues is more common. A contested divorce requires litigation in court with each side presenting testimony and evidence before a judge makes a decision on each issue in a final judgment.

The court requires families with children to attend mediation through family court services before the judge issues orders for child custody and child support. Spouses can also choose mediation and a settlement agreement at any time in the divorce process.

Your Newport Beach divorce lawyer from Moradi Saslaw will strategize resolutions whenever possible, but will also determinedly advocate for your rights and desired outcomes in court if necessary.

Contact (949) 688-8880 to speak with a Moradi Saslaw Newport Beach Divorce Attorney.

Division of Marital Assets in California Divorces

When two people marry, they not only forge an emotional bond but also a legal contract forming a “community” of two. Like all contracts, breaking the terms of the marital agreement has consequences for both parties. In California, the state’s community property divorce law requires spouses to equally distribute all property acquired during the marriage. Property that belonged to each spouse before the marriage remains their separate property.

Examples of separate property during a California divorce include:

  • Real estate property owned by one spouse before the marriage
  • Assets belonging to one spouse before the marriage
  • Debts in one spouse’s name before the marriage
  • Assets or property inherited by one spouse during the marriage
  • Gifts to one spouse given solely to that spouse during the marriage

Examples of marital property commonly include:

  • The marital home
  • Any vacation or rental properties acquired during the marriage
  • Bank accounts (both joint and individual)
  • Investment accounts
  • Retirement accounts
  • Jointly owned/operated businesses
  • Vehicles
  • Household appliances, electronics, furnishings, antiques, and art

Deciding on the division of assets can become complicated, especially for spouses with many assets. In some circumstances, a spouse could have a valid claim on property the other spouse considers separate property. For example, a real estate property owned or inherited by one spouse may become commingled with marital property if the other spouse invests significant time or money into making improvements on the property. Bank and investment accounts also sometimes co-mingle if one spouse grants the other spouse access to the account.

A diligent divorce lawyer in Newport Beach understands how to untangle separate and community property. For high-asset divorces, your Newport Beach high asset divorce attorney from Moradi Saslaw may consult with financial experts to advocate for your best interests.

The Divorce Hearing

A divorce hearing or trial takes place when spouses cannot agree on their own settlement and parenting time schedule even with mediation. Child custody is often a hotly contentious issue in divorce cases, as is the division of marital assets and spousal support. If your case goes to trial, your Newport Beach divorce attorney from Moradi Saslaw will walk you through the following process:

  • Setting the trial date
  • The disclosure/discovery process
  • The settlement conference
  • Evidence gathering
  • Subpoena witnesses
  • Prepping for trial
  • Planning your testimony

On your hearing date, your skilled Newport Beach divorce lawyer from Moradi Saslaw Family Court Attorneys will vigorously defend your interests and advocate for your goals on every contested issue.

Contact A Newport Beach Family Law Attorney Today

The premier California divorce lawyers from Moradi Saslaw have a strong record of success in mediating and litigating for our divorce clients in Newport Beach and the surrounding area. With our extensive experience with the high-asset world of California divorce, we support our clients from the sophisticated world of entrepreneurs, real estate developers, and professionals with efficiency and competence even in the most complicated divorce cases. Our range of experience includes navigating divorces for clients from a wide range of lifestyles and across all demographics. We’ll work toward the smoothest, most streamlined process possible for your divorce while fighting for your goals on all contested issues.

Call our Newport Beach family law office today at (949) 688-8880 to arrange a confidential consultation on your divorce case.

Areas We Proudly Serve Around Orange County, CA

Including but not limited to:

Aliso Viejo | Anaheim | Brea | Buena Park | Costa Mesa | Cypress | Corona Del Mar | Dana Point | Fountain Valley | Fullerton | Garden Grove | Huntington Beach | Irvine | La Habra | La Palma | Laguna Beach | Laguna Hills | Laguna Nigel | Laguna Wills | Lake Forest | Los Alamitos | Mission Viejo | Newport Beach | Orange | Placentia | Rancho Santa Margarita | San Clemente | San Juan Capistrano | Santa Ana | Seal Beach | Stanton | Tustin | Villa Park | Westminster | Yorba Linda