Legal Question in Family Law in California

No one can answer your question with the information you have provided. With a properly written marital settlement agreement you could be protected. Prior to preparing the marital settlement agreement, a list of all assets must be prepared, by both husband and wife. The amount of money involved in this justifies the use of an attorney to protect your rights.

1. Can't be answered by anyone who has not seen a complete list of your assets, debts, income and expenses.

2. It depends on what the Marital Settlement Agreement and final Judgment says.

3. (First Part) You would need to put that in writing in the proper form with certain specific statutory waivers in order to make sure you are protected.

3. (Second Part) Your savings from inheritance is protected if a) you never moved money from a joint account into the same account as the inheritance, or b) the Marital Settlement Agreement and Judgment say it is yours.

I am not sure I agree with Mr. Johnson that you need an attorney to get this done, but you are on the border line. I suggest you pick up a copy of "How to Do Your Own Divorce in Californa" published by Nolo Press. If you still have questions after following the steps and instructions in that book, then you will need to consult with an attorney. Many attorneys, myself included, are happy to take on a "limited scope" representation to help with reviewing documents and making sure things are filed correctly, without accepting responsiblility for the whole case. That can be a very cost effective way to make sure the i's are dotted and t's crossed in a divorce that doesn't involve much if any dispute.