Los Angeles Divorce Lawyers

The divorce papers arrived in the mail. Or maybe you’re the one who sent them. Either way, you’re sitting at your kitchen table. You’re trying to figure out what happens to the house, the retirement account, and the next chapter of your life.

The Sands Law Group, APLC, has walked hundreds of Los Angeles families through moments like this. Our award-winning Los Angeles divorce lawyers bring 20+ years of legal insight to every case we handle. We guide clients through divorce, child custody, spousal support, and complex property division. We can help you plan toward the best possible outcome before the first costly mistake gets made.

California grants a divorce without requiring either spouse to prove fault. Irreconcilable differences are sufficient grounds. However, you still have to meet two residency rules before you can file:

1. Six months in California, and
2. Three months in Los Angeles County.

Once you serve your spouse, the court will not finalize the divorce for at least six months. That is true even if you agree on every issue.

During that waiting period, both spouses exchange full financial disclosures. Either spouse can also ask the court for temporary orders on support or the use of property while the case proceeds.

Missing a disclosure deadline or signing a temporary agreement without reading it closely can lock in terms that follow you for years. Decisions made in those first few months often shape the rest of the case. That’s why early legal advice matters as much as courtroom advocacy.

Our Los Angeles divorce lawyers can help with everything from a simple filing to a fight over a family business. We build a strategy around:

• Your specific finances;
• Your children, if you have them; and
• The outcome you actually want.

We do not apply the same strategy to every client who walks through the door. We seek to understand what you want and tell you what to expect before we ever step into a courtroom.

As of January 2026, California allows couples to file a joint petition rather than one spouse filing against the other. This is a convenient option open to couples who already agree on property, support, and any parenting issues.

You still have to disclose your full finances and put your agreement in writing. Either spouse can still walk away from the joint filing and switch to a standard case. But for couples who already agree on the big issues, it can mean a faster, less adversarial path through the same six-month timeline. We can let you know whether you qualify for joint filing. Many couples never hear about this option until it’s too late to use it.

Divorcing couples consistently choose The Sands Law Group, APLC, for the following reasons:

• Over 20 years of experience. Thomas D. Sands, our founder and CEO, has handled hundreds of divorce and family law cases throughout Los Angeles County. This includes complex property division, high-conflict custody battles, and sophisticated financial matters.
• Tailored settlement options. We represent clients through alternative dispute resolution methods, such as collaboration, mediation, and arbitration.
• Trial experience. While Thomas D. Sands often helps couples settle matters out of court, his trial experience is essential if the case goes the distance. The National Institute of Trial Lawyers named our firm one of the Best Law Firms in America in 2025.
• Multilingual legal support. We proudly serve Los Angeles’ diverse communities with legal services in English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, and Arabic. Every family deserves quality representation without language barriers.
• Personalized client care. We take time to understand your specific goals, concerns, and priorities. Then we craft a customized approach that aligns with your family’s needs.
• Awards and recognition: In 2026, the firm earned a Benchmark Best of award based on client ratings. Trust Analytica also included us in its list of the Top 10 Child Custody Lawyers in Los Angeles.

A free case evaluation is the first step toward a plan tailored to your unique needs during this challenging time.

Every divorce looks different once you get past the paperwork. The right approach depends on how much you and your spouse already agree on, and how complex your finances are.

Uncontested Divorce

You and your spouse agree on the major issues in an uncontested divorce. We still review every document line by line. A settlement that looks fair on paper can leave money or parenting time on the table if no one first checks the all-important details.

Contested Divorce

You and your spouse disagree on property, support, or parenting time. The case is heading toward negotiation or trial. Our contested divorce lawyers build the record early: financial disclosures, valuations, and witness statements. That way, you are not scrambling once the court sets a hearing date.

High-Asset Divorce

Your high-asset divorce case involves a business, real estate, stock options, or accounts that are hard to value. We work with forensic accountants and appraisers to make sure nothing is underpriced, hidden, or split unfairly.

Same-Sex Divorce

You married as soon as it became legally possible, but your relationship had started years earlier. That earlier history can still matter. We help same-sex couples show a court how those years together should factor into property and support decisions.

Military Divorce

Your case may involve a military pension, a spouse stationed overseas, or a deployment schedule that complicates court dates. Federal law, not California law alone, controls how a court can divide military retired pay. If your spouse is on active duty, they can ask the court to pause the case while they serve. We work around deployment schedules and file the paperwork. That way, the government retiree pay center honors the order correctly once the case ends.

Working early on with an experienced Los Angeles divorce attorney can help you avoid costly mistakes.

Most Los Angeles divorces come down to the same handful of questions: What happens to the kids? What happens to our property? What happens to our finances going forward?

Property and Debt Division

California treats most property and debt from the marriage as jointly owned, no matter whose name is on the account. Property either of you owned before the wedding, or received individually as a gift or inheritance, generally stays yours. That line blurs fast once money moves between accounts or a business grows during the marriage. That gray area is where cases often become expensive.

Child Custody and Support

If you have children, custody and support get resolved as part of the same case, based on your family’s specific circumstances. Custody and support can shift later if your situation changes significantly. A finalized property settlement generally cannot. We trace assets, build the record on custody and support, and fight for a result that reflects your family, not a generic formula.

Spousal Support

Spousal support is a separate question. A court weighs multiple factors before deciding whether one spouse owes the other support. Factors include each spouse’s income, earning capacity, and the length of the marriage.

We trace assets, build the record on support and custody, and fight for a result that reflects your family, not a generic formula.

Most couples in California aim to resolve their divorces without asking a judge to decide. Many couples want more control over the process and keep the details out of the public record. While a trial remains an option in highly disputed cases, the majority of cases settle using one of the following approaches:

Divorce Mediation

You want to resolve your case without a courtroom fight. A neutral mediator helps you and your spouse reach an agreement on your own terms. It often costs less time and money than a case decided by a judge.

Collaborative Divorce

You and your spouse each hire an attorney trained in collaborative law. Everyone commits in writing to settling out of court. If either side files for a trial, both attorneys must withdraw from the case. That rule keeps everyone focused on an agreement instead of preparing for a fight.

Private Judging

You want a faster, more private process than the public court system allows. A private judge, hired and paid by both spouses, hears your case. Private judging offers flexibility, confidentiality, and a binding decision at the end.

We can help you decide which option is best for your specific situation.

A little preparation before your first meeting helps us give you sharper advice on day one. Bring what you have, even if the list feels incomplete:

• Recent pay stubs, tax returns, and bank or investment account statements;
• Mortgage documents, property deeds, or lease agreements;
• Records of any business you or your spouse own or co-own;
• Any prenuptial, postnuptial, or domestic partnership agreement already in place; and
• A short written timeline of key dates, including when you married and when you separated.

We will fill in the gaps together. We’ll tell you exactly what else we need. Nothing on this list needs to be perfect before you call us.

You don’t have to figure out your next move alone. Our Los Angeles divorce lawyers can walk through your situation. We’ll explain your options in plain language, whether that’s English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, or Arabic.

The strategy we build centers on what matters most to you and your family. Call us today at (213) 788-4412 or reach out online to schedule a confidential consultation with a dedicated divorce lawyer in Los Angeles, CA.