Completing a divorce in a single day might seem too good to be true, but a Sacramento judge recently made the idea a reality.
Sacramento Superior Court's "One-Day Divorce" program targets couples who can't afford an attorney but still need some help getting through the legal process.
During two Fridays each month, volunteer attorneys and law students work with up to 10 couples to help them fill out the necessary paperwork. Then, experienced volunteer attorneys (known as judges pro tem) review the forms and advise the couples on any needed changes. Finally, the couples appear before Judge James Mize for final approval of their divorce.
"People get out of divorce court actually hugging each other because they're so happy that it's done, and so quickly and so painlessly," Mize said.
In order to take part, the couple must have already filed for divorce and have met certain income requirements: A couple without children, for example, must earn no more than $31,296 a year.
In addition, the couple either needs to have reached a basic divorce agreement or a "default" divorce, meaning that one party has not responded to a divorce petition within the required time limit.
