Are you looking for a divorce lawyer in Torrance, CA?

At Skarin Law Group, we have a divorce practice built on 15 years of client representation.

If your marriage is ending and you share a home, accounts, or children in Torrance, a Torrance, CA divorce lawyer at Skarin Law Group can file or answer the petition for you. The same case resolves property, support, and custody. We represent the spouse who files and the spouse who responds.

Our attorneys have 15 years of experience with divorce litigation. Our President was named to the Super Lawyers list each year from 2020 through 2024. Schedule a consultation to review your finances, your goals, and the first filings in your case.

Divorce Lawyer Torrance, CA

A divorce lawyer represents one spouse through the legal process that ends a marriage. The lawyer drafts the petition or response, prepares financial disclosures, and negotiates the terms of the judgment. When spouses cannot agree, the lawyer presents evidence and argument to a judge.

Forty-five reporting states and the District of Columbia recorded 672,502 divorces in 2023, a rate of 2.4 per 1,000 people, according to CDC data. Every divorce requires decisions about property and debts, and divorces involving children also require custody and support orders. A Torrance divorce attorney prepares the financial information and settlement proposals that those decisions depend on.

Types of Divorce Cases We Handle in Torrance

Divorces differ in how much the spouses dispute and how much they own. Some cases involve a few assets and no children. Others involve businesses, several properties, and contested custody. Our Torrance divorce attorneys handle each of the following matters for either spouse.

• Contested divorce. Spouses disagree on one or more issues, and a judge decides what they cannot settle. We conduct discovery and prepare witnesses. We then present the case at hearings and trial. Many contested cases settle partway through, so we prepare for negotiation and trial at the same time.
• Uncontested divorce. Spouses agree on all terms. We draft the settlement agreement and judgment papers so the terms are enforceable. We also review agreements prepared by the other side before a client signs.
• High net worth divorce. Larger estates involve business interests, stock compensation, or several properties. We address valuation and the classification of each asset as community or separate. Tracing is often required when separate and community funds were mixed.
• Legal separation. Property, support, and custody are resolved while the spouses remain legally married. The court process is similar to a divorce. Some spouses prefer this option when they do not want to end the marriage itself.
• Property division. We identify, value, and divide community assets and debts. Common items are homes, retirement accounts, and business interests. We also support separate property claims with account records.
• Child custody. Divorcing parents need orders for legal and physical custody. We negotiate parenting plans and litigate custody when parents disagree. Temporary custody orders are often requested early in the divorce.
• Child support. Support is calculated under the statewide guideline. We verify the income and parenting time figures used in the calculation. We also address changes when a parent’s income shifts during the case.
• Spousal support. We request or oppose temporary support during the case and long-term support in the judgment. Each position is backed by income and expense records.
• Post-judgment modifications. Support and custody orders can be revisited after the divorce is final. We file and respond to those requests. Common reasons are a job change, a move, or a child’s changing needs.

Why Choose Skarin Law Group as my Divorce Lawyer in Torrance, CA?

A Practice Limited to Family Law

Skarin Law Group is a family law firm, and every attorney here handles divorce cases. We have 15 years of experience with these matters. Our attorneys handle divorce filings, disclosures, and hearings as a regular part of their caseload. That focus matters in a divorce, where a single case can involve property, support, and a parenting plan. A spouse who hires us for a divorce also has a family lawyer in Torrance, CA for the custody and support questions inside the same case. We represent petitioners and respondents. Our billing is hourly, and each client maintains an evergreen retainer.

Credentials in Matrimonial Law

Matthew Skarin, our President, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Southern California Chapter. He serves on the Los Angeles Regional Standing Committee of Flexcom. He was named an Up-And-Coming Top 100 Attorney from 2017 through 2019. Martindale-Hubbell gives him its AV Preeminent rating. He practices in the California state courts and is also admitted to the U.S. District Court.

He holds a law degree from Loyola Law School. His undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara is in business economics with an accounting emphasis, which is useful background for dividing assets.

What Is Important To Understand About Divorce Cases?

What Is The Divorce Case Timeline?

California’s court system describes the divorce process in four parts. The total time depends on how much the spouses dispute. A mandatory waiting period also applies before any divorce becomes final.

• Starting the case. One spouse files a petition and serves the other spouse, who can then file a response. We prepare and file these papers for our clients.
• Sharing financial information. Spouses exchange financial disclosures covering income, expenses, assets, and debts.
• Making decisions. Spouses agree on property, support, and parenting, or they ask the court to decide the unresolved issues.
• Finalizing the divorce. Final paperwork is submitted to the court, and the judgment ends the marriage. We prepare the judgment package and correct any items the court rejects.

Contested cases add discovery and hearings between the second and third parts. Uncontested cases can move to final paperwork once the disclosures and agreement are complete. A divorce attorney in Torrance tracks each of these steps and the deadlines attached to them.

Grounds for Divorce and Property Division in California

California is a no-fault divorce state. The spouse who files does not have to prove that the other spouse did something wrong. Stating that the couple has irreconcilable differences is enough.

Property is divided under community property rules. Property and debts that either spouse acquires while married are generally treated as shared and are divided equally. The same rules apply to debts, including mortgages, car loans, and credit cards. Spouses often dispute the classification of assets earned over several years or held in accounts that are hard to trace. Two common examples are executive compensation and cryptocurrency.

What Are Important Aspects of a Divorce Case?

Preparation in the first weeks of a divorce affects the rest of the case. A Torrance divorce lawyer at our firm focuses on these points early.

• Complete financial records. Disclosures are only as accurate as the records behind them. We collect statements for every account before drafting.
• Temporary arrangements. Spouses need interim terms for the home, bills, and parenting time while the case is pending. We request court orders when spouses cannot agree on those terms.
• Support positions. Alimony negotiations depend on documented income and expenses for both spouses.
• Conduct during the case. Spending, account transfers, and social media activity during the divorce can become evidence.
• Planning after judgment. Beneficiary designations and an estate plan need to be updated once the divorce is final.

What Should You Bring to Your Divorce Consultation?

Bring records that show what you and your spouse earn, own, and owe. Partial records are still useful.

• Tax returns from the last two or three years
• Recent pay stubs for both spouses, if available
• Statements for bank, retirement, and loan accounts
• A prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, if you signed one
• Any papers already filed or served in the case

If you have already been served, note the date you received the papers.

We use the consultation to outline the issues in your case and the order in which they should be addressed. We also tell you which of your goals a court can and cannot grant.

Torrance Family Court and Local Resources

Divorce cases from Torrance proceed through the Los Angeles Superior Court, which has a courthouse in Torrance. The court publishes two video workshops for spouses in a divorce case. A Torrance, CA divorce attorney covers the same subjects with clients in more detail.

• Dissolution Orientation Workshop. These court videos explain the overall divorce process and what to expect at each stage.
• Declaration of Disclosure Workshop. This video series explains how spouses share financial information during a case.

Reach Out to Skarin Law Group to Schedule a Consultation

Skarin Law Group handles divorces for Torrance residents from the first filing through the final judgment. A consultation gives you a list of the issues in your case and the documents each one requires. Our fees are hourly and paid through an evergreen retainer. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a Torrance divorce lawyer about filing for divorce or responding to a petition.