Legal Question in Family Law in California
Judgement of Dissolution of Marriage
My husband and I both signed a Judgement of Dissolution of Marriage in November 2000. In February of 2001, I received another copy of the same Judgement, but with changes made by my husband's attorney. (I am representing myself). The changes are to my advantage, so my question is basically, can my husband do anything to have them changed again before they are submitted to court, and if he can and does, should I receive a copy with any other changes? I received a form LA-377 that states: ''Pursuant to the Stipulated Judgement of Dissolution entered into by the Petitioner and Respondent, and attached hereto,'' (All in caps) ''The Parties further stipulate that this cause may proceed as an uncontested matter without notice''. Does this answer my question? If so, please explain. Thank you so much.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Judgement of Dissolution of Marriage
Dear Inquirer:
Nothing herein shall create an attorney-client
relationship, unless a written retainer agreement
is executed by the attorney and client. This
communication contains general information only.
Nothing herein shall constitute an attorney-client
communication nor legal advice. There likely are
deadlines and time-limits associated with your
case; you should contact an attorney of your
choice for legal advice specific to your personal
situation, at once.
If you haven't already done so, please visit my
web site at --
http://home.pacbell.net/edbjr/ OR
http://www.CaliforniaDivorceAttorney.com
The site contains quite a bit of general
information about California Family Law, as well
as information about me (education, experience,
et cetera) and my office (location, hours, fees,
policies).
NOW, IN RESPONSE TO YOUR INQUIRY --
I am not clear about the facts of your case.
After a stipulated judgment or stipulation for
judgment is signed by the parties and their
attorneys, it then is ready to be submitted to
the court for execution by a judge or commissioner
and entry by the clerk. If changes are to be made
after the document is signed by the parties and
their attorneys, they must be by mutual agreement and
most lawyers will have the document re-typed and
re-signed, but I suppose it is possible to change
just a page or pages and submit the altered version to the court.
Keep copies of each version before and after signing
to the extent you can. When you get the notice of
entry of judgment directly from the court clerk,
go to the courthouse and get a conformed copy of the
judgment and make sure it reflects what you agreed
to. If not, contact a lawyer immediately to get
the judgment set aside (there are STRICT time limits
for appealing or otherwise attacking a judgment.