Legal Question in Family Law in California

You can obtain a copy of the filed papers from the court clerk. You will need to figure out which courthouse they were filed in and get them there. Once you have them you are free to respond without being served. You should pick up a copy of "How to Do Your Own Divorce In California" by Nolo Press. It will have the state-wide forms you need and step by step help for getting through the process. You should then immediately file for temporary orders to change custody if you want to try that, establish child support, and any other orders that might be necessary pending finalizing the divorce. You will then need to check with the family law facilitator at the court for the local procedures for getting a case that has been filed and responded to on the calendar for trial. Now by trial we don't mean a Perry Mason ten-day thing. If the divorce is uncontested, it can be done in less than an hour. If the parties stipulate to all the terms of the divorce, it can usually be done just on paper without ever going to court. Again, the family law facilitator can help you with the local process. If your husband suddenly decides to fight about things once you get this moving, you may need to consult with an attorney, but you can cross that bridge if you come to it.