Irvine Annulment Attorney

Marriage Dissolution Alternatives in Orange County

When dissolving a marriage, most couples tend to lean more towards pursuing a divorce. Though it is the most common way to legally end a marriage, there are alternative methods, such as annulment. There are many misconceptions about annulments in society, mostly due to the fact that both the law and religions grant them. Our Irvine annulment lawyer explains the legalities involved in a civil annulment and whether or not this might be the right option for ending your marriage.

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Divorce vs. Annulment

The main difference between divorce and annulment is that a divorce legally ends a valid and recognized marriage, while an annulment results in erasing the marriage, as if it never happened. There are numerous reasons for an individual to want to pursue an annulment over a divorce, including religious reason, the lack of consent to the marriage, or feeling you were too young when you decided to get married.

Completely erasing your marriage, particularly if you and your spouse are not parting on good terms, might sounds like a clear, obvious preference. There are, however, many benefits to choosing a divorce over an annulment. For example, because an annulled marriage never legally happened, there is no way to award spousal support or divide property. The couple must divide their assets on their own and financial support is not awarded to either spouse. Because of this, it can be more beneficial to choose a divorce over other means of ending your marriage.

Grounds for Annulment in California

Even if you may want an annulment to your marriage, you may not qualify for one. There are certain situations in which an annulment is relevant over a divorce. Usually these situations involve lying or not giving consent. Our Irvine annulment lawyer explains the grounds on which a couple or individual can file a request for an annulment over a divorce.

The grounds, or qualifications, for a judge to decide to grant an annulment are:

• The couple is blood related
• One spouse was already married or did not end a previous marriage before entering into another
• One spouse was under the age of eighteen when he or she was married
• One spouse was forced or did not give consent to get married
• One spouse lied to the other or committed fraud to get consent to the marriage
• One spouse has an incurable physical incapacity
• One spouse has a mental condition, is of unsound mind, or suffers from severe intoxication

For many of these grounds, you must file for an annulment within an allotted amount of time. For most instances you must file within four years of the start of your marriage.

Contact the Center for Mediated Divorce Today

Whether pursuing an annulment or a divorce, our firm can help. With over 20 years of experience to back us and a 98% success rate for mediated divorces, our Irvine divorce attorney has the know-how and skill to navigate you through the complexities of divorce law. We truly care about the clients we represent and we make it our priority to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. Ending a marriage is always stressful, but with our firm you don’t have to feel like you are going through it alone.

If you have questions or would like to pursue an annulment to your marriage, contact the Center for Mediated Divorce today at (714) 706-3992.