Richard Ross Associates Richard Ross Associates
Ojai

Ojai Family Law Attorney

The Premier Lawyer For Family Law Matters in Ojai 

The Law Offices of Richard Ross Associates offers you the best opportunity for a favorable outcome in your case. Our firm has been serving clients from our Westlake Village office for 35 years and has successfully handled approximately 5,000 cases. 

When you are looking for a Ojai divorce lawyer, make sure that you find one with sufficient experience and skill to help you navigate this difficult process — choose the Law Offices of Richard Ross Associates. Contact us today!

Types Of Family Law Cases We Handle

Divorce is among the most frequently litigated family matters. Fortunately, not all divorces have to be settled in court. If you and your ex can agree to the essential terms of your settlement arrangement, you can pursue an uncontested divorce. A lengthier alternative consists of settling through mediation; in this case, you would work with a neutral third-party mediator to come to a reasonable agreement. Additionally, a collaborative divorce allows both parties, and their legal representatives, to sit down and resolve their disputes amicably. There are many available choices to court. If your divorce case is engaged in litigation, we can help ensure that your rights as a parent and all other parties are protected at all times.

In addition to divorce, we can skillfully handle any of the following matters:

Keep in mind that during a heated family dispute, you could very well be taken advantage of. If you lack proper legal representation, you may be forced to accept an arrangement that is highly unfair and damaging to your relationship with your child. We can prevent that from happening.

Ojai families turn to our firm when they need help resolving any family law issue. When you work with our firm, you will be assigned to work with Richard Ross yourself. We have many years of experience handling every type of family law issue out there.

Personalized Representation

Our cases are always in active development, and we strive to negotiate an agreement that protects our client's rights. We work to maintain an excellent line of communication so we can chart a strategy that provides you with the favorable outcome you deserve. We are more than willing to go to court if it is necessary to do so. In the unfortunate event that you cannot even reach an agreement with your spouse on how to best divide your property, our Westlake Village divorce lawyer can take your case to a family law judge.

To find out more about how the Richard Ross team can help you with your case, contact us via our website today! We return all phone calls within 24 hours!

Dedicated TO CLIENT CARE & SUCCESS

  • I heartily recommend him to anybody in need of a well qualified, results-oriented, family law specialist.

    “I would not hesitate to, again, retain the legal services of Richard Ross.”

  • Our family and our dignity have been restored.

    “Mr. Ross and his supportive, competent staff put their hearts into their work and literally turned our lives around.”

  • The results far exceeded my expectations.

    “The entire staff at Richard Ross Associates really helped me through my divorce and they were with me the whole way.”

  • Extremely thorough and professional!

    “Richard has helped me through a very difficult divorce and I can't say enough good things about him.”

  • Polite, caring, and quick to respond.

    “Richard Ross is a subject matter expert in the field of family law.”

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • Should I agree to a temporary parenting plan?
    This is very important: If you have separated from your spouse before one of you has filed for dissolution of marriage or legal separation, avoid agreeing to and placing into effect a temporary parenting plan arrangement regarding the children unless you will be able to live with this arrangement after the divorce papers have been filed. Once you begin a parenting plan that seems to be working, it becomes the "status quo." It is very difficult to convince a mediator or judge to change the status quo, especially if it is working or appears to be working and is not detrimental to the minor children.
  • Can a joint tax return still be filed after a divorce?
    If you have not received a judgment dissolving your marriage before the end of the year, you may file an individual tax return under the status of "married, filing separately" or a joint tax return with your spouse. You should consult your accountant as to the advantages of these options. You may obtain special information booklets regarding tax information for divorce or separated individuals from your local IRS office or read the IRS booklet online.
  • How long must I live in California before I can file for divorce?
    To file an action for divorce, also known as dissolution of marriage, a person must have resided in the state of California for six months and in the county where the action is filed for three months prior to filing the petition in court. This is true of either the petitioner or the respondent - either person can meet the test and allow a filing. If your spouse meets the residency requirement, you can file even if you do not meet it yourself.
  • Can I be thrown out of my own residence?
    The court can and usually will order you to move out of your residence if your spouse convinces the court that you have been violent toward your spouse or threatened your spouse. You could be given ex-parte notice to be in court the next day because your spouse is seeking an order to make you move out and stay out. You can be ordered to leave immediately and not return even if your spouse is not on the property title or lease agreement! Once you are ordered to leave, it is not likely that you will be allowed to return.
  • What do I need to do and know before going through a divorce or legal separation?
    Before you get a divorce, photocopy all relevant financial documents that you can obtain and store them off-site with a trusted friend or relative. Do not store them in the trunk of your car where they can easily be found and removed by your spouse. There may be both personal and strategic reasons not to tip off your spouse that documents are being reviewed for a possible dissolution proceeding. Make copies of documents that you find in the residence and return the original documents to their original location as soon as possible so that your spouse won't notice that they are missing. It is often advisable to make the photocopies when you are sure your spouse is away for an extended time, such as during a workday. It is advisable to gather as many relevant financial documents as possible while they are still available and before they have been removed or destroyed by your spouse. This will significantly reduce the cost of divorce litigation if the documents do not have to be recovered later. It will also permit us to get a true picture of all community assets and debts as soon as possible.