How to Avoid Family Law Pitfalls
Patti Johnson • August 13, 2025
How to Avoid Family Law Pitfalls
Filing paperwork with the Kern County Family Law Court can be a daunting process,
especially for those unfamiliar with the intricate rules and procedures that govern family
law cases. Whether you’re seeking a divorce, custody arrangement, support modification,
or any other family law relief, avoiding rejections is crucial in ensuring your case progresses
with minimal delays.
Understanding Court Processing
Before diving into specific avoidance strategies, it’s important to understand why the court
may reject documents. A rejection signifies that your paperwork was not accepted for filing
due to errors, omissions, or noncompliance with local or state rules. Common reasons for
rejections include incorrect forms, incomplete information, improper formatting, missing
signatures, nonpayment of fees, and failure to provide necessary attachments.
The Court Clerks have good intentions, but I can't tell you how many countless cases I have
become involved in where the consumer was completely misdirected about what to do
next. In many cases, it cost the person money that could have been avoided. I see this
repeatedly.
Real Life Example in Divorce. The Clerk telling a Respondent the next step is to file a
Response to the Petition, which also incurs a filing fee or first appearance fee. The Clerk is
probably not aware you are NOT contesting the case and therefore no response is needed.
If you agree with the information contained in the Petition, by filing a Response you block
the opportunity to allow the matter to proceed as a default. Now you have created a bigger
mess that needs to be addressed.
In the Clerk's defense. The Clerk's job is not to inquire whether or not you agree with your
spouse or ask a series of questions to better inform you, just simply pass you a packet of
information to respond to your divorce. The Clerks are overwhelmed and do not have time
to listen to your "story" or get the details of your particular situation.
Personal Story. When I was new to law many years ago and working for an attorney, I was
very worried about making a mistake and had a mental block that was holding me back. My
attorney told me not to worry so much about making a mistake because there was always a
way to correct or fix it with the Court, it just takes a lot more time and effort. The point of
my story is that the more you play in the court attempting to do your own divorce, it makes fixing your mistakes much more time-consuming and complicated than just doing it right
from the start. I encourage you to call me before you attempt to do your own divorce.
It is my humble opinion that most people cannot successfully complete their own divorce.
Most people can do the first step but fail on the rest. Ask yourself a simple question . . .
could a person with no prior training or experience do your job? Most of the time common
sense will tell you NO!
Don't take my word for it . . . ask the Clerk for ALL THE PACKETS that are required to
complete an uncontested divorce, that in itself should be enough to discourage anyone. I
will even give you a big tip should you still wish to file yourself . . . in a default case,
whatever you file on the Petition must be an exact match on the remainder of the divorce
documents through final judgment. No changes at all or you will get a rejection. All the
wording must match, exactly. All captions on all the documents must match exactly. If you
use a middle name in the initial filing, you must do the same in all subsequent filings.
It is not your fault if you find this process difficult. The Court leads people to believe it is a
simple step-by-step process. Just fill out a packet and check boxes, how easy is that? But
that is only the beginning of the courthouse nightmare. Even if you do successfully
complete the first packet, many times, although filed, there are errors or changes you want
to make or need to be addressed after the fact. That is the beginning of another problem to
fix, and the list goes on.
Conclusion
Avoiding rejections in Kern County Family Law Court is both an art and a science, requiring
attention to detail, careful preparation, and a thorough understanding of local court
requirements.
Divorce City 911 is a legal document preparation company, registered and bonded in the
County of Kern. With 20 years of experience and training, you should start by calling an
expert. There is no cost to make the call. One call can save you countless hours running
back and forth to the courthouse. Ask yourself, how much is my time worth?
Disclaimer: Divorce City 911 are not attorneys and is a legal document service that is owned and operated by Patti Johnson, registered in Kern County, California LDA #105. The contents contained in this blog are the opinions of the author and should not be construed as legal advice. Anyone seeking legal advice must consult with an attorney licensed by the State of California.
Introduction Family law disputes, such as divorce, child custody, spousal support, and property division, are inherently complex—legally, emotionally, and financially. When couples or families face such challenges, they must decide how to resolve their disputes. This can be a choice by the parties to sit down together and lay out a parenting plan, decide how to divide their assets and debts, support issues etc. OR the parties can elect to work through a third party to aid in the communication process sometimes called mediation. Can an LDA Save You Money---YES! Divorce City 911 applies a low-cost mediation approach to assist individuals to determine a fair and equitable solution to divorce or legal separation. This has proven to be most effective where parties are mainly in agreement and recognize the high cost of hiring attorneys for litigation; hard-earned money that could be saved for their own bank accounts or retirement. After providing self-help services to the public for many years and establishing a solid reputation in the community, I did not accomplish this alone. Throughout the years, I have relied upon reputable family law attorneys to provide legal advice to my customers to aid in the process. Since I cannot give legal advice, I often refer people to an attorney for consultation to provide legal counsel when needed to proceed uncontested. The attorney consultation fee is well worth it. A self-help service can only work with your help and at your direction. Divorce City 911 works hand in hand with attorneys and other third-party professionals to make your case processes through the court system as smoothly as possible. The purpose of an attorney consultation is to get answers to legal questions; you have no commitment or obligation to hire at that point. Before Hiring an Attorney, Call Divorce City 911 . Our goal is to reach a mutually acceptable agreement on the issues at hand. If in our initial conversation, it is apparent there is no reasonable way to resolve your marital issues, I would strongly recommend and encourage you to consult with an attorney specializing in family law. Litigation may be the best or only choice you have when one party refuses to participate or negotiate in good faith. The point I am attempting to make is be sure to weigh the time and cost of litigation and never file in anger. Should You Hire an Attorney? Some cases are headed for trial regardless of the issues involved. However, many of those people naively do not realize the attorney retainer is just for starters and gone in a flash. Then, the average $450 to $500 hourly rate kicks into gear. Every phone call, email or any contact with your attorney is billable. Court rejections . . . you pay to correct mistakes, no matter where the fault lies, it is all billable hours. Legal fees accumulate into thousands and thousands of dollars. In extremely difficult cases, you may have no choice but to litigate with attorneys. What attorneys don't tell you is when you run out of money, you run out of access to your lawyer. The attorney can then file a motion to withdraw as your attorney of record. Now you are on your own, which is where I usually get a call. You cannot expect your lawyer to work for "free", so it is important to know how your attorney fees are used and if your money is being used wisely. The LDA Practice. Let's face it, the average person just can't afford it. Hence, the only alternative to high-cost legal fees are document preparation services like Divorce City 911. Remember, all doc prep services are not created equal, do your homework and check ratings and reviews. In Conclusion. Each family’s circumstances are unique. Factors such as the nature of the dispute, the parties’ willingness to communicate, the complexity of the issues, and support obligations all play a role in making appropriate choices for you and your family. 661.868.9606 Disclaimer: Divorce City 911 are not attorneys and is a legal document service that is owned and operated by Patti Johnson, registered in Kern County, California LDA #105. The contents contained in this blog are the opinions of the author and should not be construed as legal advice. Anyone seeking legal advice must consult with an attorney licensed by the State of California.
