The court process for divorce can be challenging, many people are able to start and finish their court cases on their own or with limited help from lawyers or legal support professionals.
The best way to get help is to hire a qualified divorce lawyer. If you do not want to hire a lawyer, or can’t afford one, consider at least a consultation with a few divorce lawyers, to get a professional opinions about your case.
Consultations are usually either free or low-cost. A consultation with a lawyer can often save you time and money in the long run. A lawyer can help you decide if any court action should be taken, and if so, how best to go forward. A lawyer can give you confidential (private) advice and help you figure out how to present and argue your case.
Some lawyers offer “unbundled” or “discrete task” services, meaning you hire them to do only certain parts of the case, such as preparing court forms, appearing in court, negotiating agreements, etc. In this type of arrangement, you do the remaining work. Access self-representing support here.
Most people need at least some information and help in order to be able to pick the right type of court case to start, choose appropriate court forms and procedures, and decide how to present certain issues to the court.
You are not required to have a lawyer. You may hire a divorce lawyer to represent you in your case, or you may represent yourself. If you represent yourself, the court will expect you to meet the same standard as it does a lawyer. You will be expected to know how to present your case, what the rules and procedures are, etc.
The judge and court clerks cannot help you argue or present your case, or tell you what you need to do next. If you hire a lawyer, you must pay all of their fees. The court cannot give you a free lawyer in family law cases.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, you may visit the family law facilitator. Each court has a family law facilitator, and they are lawyers who can assist you with child support, spousal support and health insurance issues.
The facilitators cannot represent you or provide you with any confidential advice, but they can explain laws and procedures and help you choose and complete the right court forms. Facilitators can also tell you about useful community resources, including nonprofit groups that assist parents and lawyer referral services. Some facilitators provide services through workshops, others through one-on-one meetings. Some facilitators provide additional services such as assistance with custody/visitation, divorce and parentage issues.
About Barbara Hammers
Ms. Hammers is a native Southern Californian born in Glendale, California. After several years of running successful businesses, she earned her degree in Psychology, graduating with highest honors from California State University, Fullerton.
Ms. Hammers went on to earn her law degree from University of California, Los Angeles, and started her own practice shortly thereafter. Although she has some civil litigation experience, she has concentrated her law practice in the area of domestic relations/Family Law since 1997. She is certified as a Specialist in Family Law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization.
Ms. Hammers is currently the senior litigation partner in Hammers & Baltazar, LLP, with offices located in Santa Monica and Newport Beach, California.
Her organizational memberships include the Family Law Sections of the State Bar of California, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Santa Monica Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Orange County Bar Association, American Bar Association and is currently a member of the Family Law Executive Committee for the State Bar of California (FLEXCOM). She was the Chair for the State Bar of California's Children's Issues Committee from 2005 to 2009, was the Committee's Secretary from 1998 to 2003, and the Vice Chair from 2003 to 2004. She is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. She is the Chair of the Santa Monica Bar Association's Family Law Section and is the incoming president of the Santa Monica Bar Association. She is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Family Law Section Executive Committee. She is a graduate of the American Bar Association, Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute.
Ms. Hammers has lengthy experience in program presentations for the Family Law Section of the Santa Monica Bar Association and has coordinated and hosted monthly MCLE programs approximately 10 times per year since 2006. She has developed and presented programs for the American Bar Association's Family Law Section and has assisted in the development of programs for the State Bar of California, Family Law Section. She has also authored articles on fathers paternity rights, division of stock options, law practice management, domestic violence prevention, and various other topic of interest to the family law community.
Her volunteer efforts in the community have included assisting victims of Domestic Violence through volunteering at local Domestic Violence Clinics in Los Angeles County, and she has been assisting the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Family Law, Traffic, Civil Harassment, and Small Claims in courthouses throughout Los Angeles County since 2007.
Early training as a litigator allows her to move comfortably in the family court system but her natural talents as a problem solver make her an excellent mediator. In her desire to offer the full range of legal services to the family law client, she has expanded her practice to include Collaborative Divorce which allows the family law client an alternative to the traditional legal model of litigation to resolve disputes. Collaborative Divorce allows the clients and their counsel to fashion remedies that make the process of divorcing one with the potential of growth for both parties while preserving the resources of the couple and lessening the damage to children often experienced in the adversarial process. The outcome is usually better than can be obtained in the traditional litigation setting.
Ms. Hammers can be contacted at her office in Los Angeles County at Hammers & Baltazar, 1410 2nd Street, Suite 302, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (310) 458-0796, or at her Orange County office located at 901 Dover Drive, Suite 211, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (949) 631-2805.
Areas of Practice:
100% Family Law
Litigation Percentage:
75% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Certification/Specialties:
Family Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization, 2006
Bar Admissions:
California, 1997 U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1997
U.S. Supreme Court, 1997
Education:
University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, Los Angeles, California, 1997 J.D.
California State University, Fullerton, California, 1994 B.S.
Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Honors: Dean's List & Consecutive Semesters Major: Psychology
Citrus Community College, Glendora, California, 1991
Associate Science
Honors: With Honors
Major: Cosmetology
Professional Associations and Memberships:
State Bar of California, Family Law Section, 2008 - 2011 Executive Committee
Los Angeles County Bar Association Member
Santa Monica Bar Association, 2009 - 2010 President Elect Beverly Hills Bar Association Member
Orange County Bar Association Member American Bar Association Member State Bar of California, 2005 - 2008 Chair,
Children's Issues Committee State Bar of California, 1998 - 2003
Children's Issues, Committee Secretary State Bar of California, 2003 - 2004
Children's Issues, Vice Chair Santa Monica Bar Association, Family Law Section, 2006 - 2009 Chair
The Santa Monica Bar Association Board of Trustees
Los Angeles County Bar Association, Family Law Section, 2007 - 2010 Member, Executive Committee
The court process for divorce can be challenging, many people are able to start and finish their court cases on their own or with limited help from lawyers or legal support professionals.
i got married in ’69 and divorced a few years later. the worst event of my whole life. nothing else even comes close. lawyers seemed to push us into contesting each and every little detail of the divorce. a few years later i got married again and a few years after that i got divorced again only this time i bought a book with tear out pages and typed up everything myself. when we talked about the divorce i told her about my first divorce and the lawyers and how i did not even like my first wife anymore. she and i both wanted to avoid such an outcome, agreed on each aspect of the divorce in order to have a repeat of the first divorce. i know i agreed to a few things i might not have if not for the horrible first experience. and it worked out well if you can call a divorce a success.