Divorce can bring complex legal, financial, and personal challenges, and every relationship deserves to be handled with care and respect. At Shorb & Connor, LLP, we provide thoughtful legal guidance to same-sex couples navigating divorce in California, including property division, spousal support, child custody, and parenting arrangements. We help you understand your rights, explore your options, and make informed decisions as you move into your next chapter.
Same-sex divorce involves the same California Family Code as any other marriage, but the details can be far more layered. Overlapping domestic partnership histories, parentage questions involving assisted reproductive technology, and out-of-state marriages all require a same-sex divorce attorney in San Diego who understands exactly where those complexities arise. At Shorb & Connor, LLP, we practice family law and divorce only. This means every attorney at this firm works these issues every day.
Since 2013, we’ve guided thousands of San Diego County families through divorce. From your first call, you speak with our team, and your consultation is with an attorney. That relationship continues through every filing and hearing. We offer a free consultation so you can understand our approach and how it fits your situation before making any commitment.
Contact us or call (888) 222-1220 to schedule a free consultation with a same-sex divorce attorney in San Diego.
Founding attorneys Andrew L. Shorb and Kristin L. Connor built Shorb & Connor, LLP, on a straightforward premise: clients going through divorce deserve focused, senior-level attention at every stage, not a rotating cast of associates. That structure matters in same-sex divorce, where the legal landscape continues to evolve and the facts of each family’s history demand careful analysis. Andrew’s background in civil litigation and public defense strengthens complex property and advocacy work. Kristin’s grounding in California family law brings precision to custody, support, and parentage matters.
Same-sex couples can face legal histories that opposite-sex couples rarely encounter. A registered domestic partnership and a later marriage may both require formal dissolution. Children conceived through assisted reproductive technology may require additional steps to establish legal parentage for one or both parents. California family law continues to develop in these areas, and working with attorneys who track those changes isn’t optional. It’s what helps protect you.
California is a community property state, meaning assets and debts acquired during marriage are generally divided equally. For same-sex couples, that calculation can involve property acquired before the right to marry was legally recognized, domestic partnership assets, or complex holdings that require additional documentation. Our attorneys address the full range of issues that arise in same-sex divorce, including:
Our familiarity with San Diego County Superior Court (including local judge preferences and procedural nuances) can help us anticipate issues before they become delays. Whether you’re dividing property with overlapping community and separate asset histories or clarifying parental rights for a non-biological parent, we address the details that matter most for your family.
We guide you through every stage of your divorce, answering your questions and advocating for your interests from start to finish. Our process includes these key steps:
Before filing, at least one spouse must have been a California resident for six months and a San Diego County resident for three months. California also requires a mandatory six-month waiting period from the date the petition is served before a divorce judgment can be entered. We walk through these requirements with you at the outset so you have a realistic picture of the timeline and what shapes it.
Thousands of San Diego County families have trusted Shorb & Connor, LLP, with their most difficult moments. We’ve built that trust through direct communication, senior-level attention on every case, and a practice structure designed around the client’s needs. When same-sex divorce involves layered legal histories or complex family structures, you want attorneys who have worked through those issues before and know how to navigate them.
You don’t have to navigate same-sex divorce without a clear picture of what lies ahead. Contact Shorb & Connor, LLP, to schedule a free consultation with a same-sex divorce attorney in San Diego. We’ll review your goals, explain how California law applies to your situation, and give you an honest roadmap before you make any decisions.
Call (888) 222-1220 or reach out online to schedule your free consultation and take the next step with confidence.
In California, a domestic partnership and a marriage are separate legal statuses. If you and your spouse registered a domestic partnership before marrying, a divorce decree dissolves only the marriage. The domestic partnership remains a live legal relationship unless it’s formally terminated through its own separate proceeding. Until both are dissolved, neither party is legally free to remarry.
This distinction carries real financial consequences. Property and debts accumulated during a domestic partnership may be subject to community property principles depending on when the partnership was registered and what rights it carried at the time. If you converted a domestic partnership to a marriage when same-sex marriage became legal in California, it’s worth confirming with an attorney whether that conversion simultaneously dissolved the partnership or left it as a separate legal relationship requiring its own termination.
Spousal support adds another layer of complexity. Courts can consider the full length of a relationship when determining support, and a prior domestic partnership may extend the legally relevant duration. We review your complete history (including partnership registration dates, conversion documents, and any prior dissolution records) before recommending a strategy.
Before filing for divorce in San Diego County, at least one spouse must have been a California resident for six months and a San Diego County resident for three months immediately before filing. These are threshold requirements; filing before they’re met can delay your case.
California is a no-fault divorce state. Neither spouse has to prove wrongdoing. Irreconcilable differences is the standard ground, available to every married couple regardless of the circumstances that led to the decision. Once the petition is filed and served, California law requires a mandatory six-month waiting period before the court can enter a final judgment. That clock starts on the date of service, not the date of the final hearing.
If you were married outside California, that doesn’t affect your ability to file here. As long as one spouse satisfies the residency requirements, San Diego County can dissolve your marriage regardless of where the ceremony took place. We walk through all of these requirements during your initial consultation so you know exactly where you stand before any paperwork is filed.
Learn the legal procedure for divorce in California with this free downloadable infographic. San Diego divorce attorneys Andrew Shorb and Kristin Connor share details about the various paths a divorce case can take and what to expect at each step.
Download NowCalifornia treats same-sex married couples identically to opposite-sex couples in divorce proceedings. Community property division, spousal support, and child custody are all governed by the same California Family Code provisions, with no distinction based on the spouses’ gender or sexual orientation.
It can, significantly. A registered domestic partnership is a separate legal status from a marriage. A divorce decree dissolves only the marriage; if you have a prior domestic partnership that was never formally terminated, it must be dissolved separately. The duration of the partnership may also factor into spousal support calculations. An attorney should review your full relationship history before you file.
California family courts determine custody based on the best interests of the child and don’t consider parental sexual orientation. That said, non-biological and non-adoptive parents may need additional legal steps to establish parental rights, particularly when children were conceived through assisted reproductive technology. We address these parentage questions as part of every custody discussion.
No. California can dissolve a same-sex marriage as long as at least one spouse meets the state’s residency requirements, regardless of where the marriage took place. One spouse must have been a California resident for six months and a San Diego County resident for three months before filing.
California requires a minimum six-month waiting period from the date the petition is served before a judgment can be entered. The actual timeline depends on whether spouses agree on terms and the complexity of property, support, and custody issues. Contested cases with complex asset histories or parentage disputes take longer than uncontested divorces.
