Hayat Family Law is a Santa Monica divorce and family law firm helping clients through divorce, child custody, support disputes, and property division. We are located at 100 Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Santa Monica, serving clients throughout West Los Angeles.
Our approach prioritizes mediation and collaborative solutions to resolve your case efficiently and avoid unnecessary litigation. When court representation is needed, we advocate aggressively for your interests. Call 310-917-1044 for a free consultation. We represent clients in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Venice, Marina del Rey, and surrounding communities.
Areas of Practice in Santa Monica
Our expertise is in family law. Family law deals with marriage, divorce, custody, spousal and child support. We can handle any legal issues that arise when you get married, have children, or file for divorce.
Regardless of your situation, we have the background, knowledge, and resources to make a positive difference in your case. Using our depth of knowledge and experience, we’ll provide the best favorable outcome for your case. Contact us now to request a consultation.
We're prepared to handle all
types of divorce cases in Santa Monica
A good family lawyer can make a significant difference in the outcome of your case. Hayat Family Law has successfully represented families in Santa Monica dealing with legal issues. We’re ready to be as aggressive as required to defend you and your children’s best interests.
Request a Consultation
The first step is to request an initial consultation. Contact us via phone or email to tell us about your case.
Case Investigation
Based on the information you provide us, we’ll review your case and present you with your best options.
Start The Process
After you retain our services, we’ll advise you and draft documents to meet your specific needs.
Why Clients Choose Hayat Family Law
Divorce Lawyers in Santa Monica
Divorce cases for Santa Monica residents are filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, and most are heard at the Santa Monica Courthouse on Main Street. At Hayat Family Law, we know the West District well because our founder worked inside these courtrooms before opening this firm. That experience shapes every case we take, from straightforward filings to complex high asset divorces.
Courtroom and Mediation Experience
Before opening Hayat Family Law, Arsalan Hayatdavoodi served as a family law clerk for the Los Angeles County Superior Court and later as a court appointed mediator at the Torrance Courthouse, where 35 of his 40 assigned cases reached a settlement. We bring that same mediation first approach to your divorce, and we are fully prepared to litigate when the other side refuses to be reasonable.
Complex Property and High Asset Division
Santa Monica divorces often involve more than a house and two cars. We regularly divide stock options, RSUs, business interests, and investment portfolios for clients working in Silicon Beach tech, entertainment, and medicine. If you own a business, we handle the valuation and division as part of your case so nothing gets overlooked.
A Strategy Built Around Your Goals
No two divorces are the same, so we never treat them that way. Your case starts with a free consultation where you tell us your situation and we lay out your options under California law. From there, we build a plan around your priorities, whether that means a fast settlement or a fight in court. Call 310-917-1044 to get started.
Contested and Uncontested Divorce in Santa Monica
Every divorce in Santa Monica travels one of two roads. In an uncontested case, both spouses agree on the major issues and the court reviews and signs the judgment. In a contested case, the spouses disagree on something that matters, whether that is custody, support, or the house, and the court has to step in. Most cases fall somewhere in between, and our job is to move yours toward resolution at the lowest cost in time, money, and stress.
When Agreement Is Possible
If you and your spouse agree on the terms, we turn that agreement into a judgment the court can approve the first time. An uncontested divorce still requires full financial disclosures and careful drafting, because vague agreements cause fights years after the ink dries. We handle the paperwork, the filings, and the deadlines so the process stays as calm as it started.
When the Other Side Will Not Cooperate
Some spouses hide money, refuse reasonable offers, or use the children as leverage. That is when cases become contested, and that is when preparation decides outcomes. We build your case on documents and evidence from day one, so the other side learns quickly that stalling and posturing cost more than settling.
A Plan for Either Road
You do not need to know which kind of divorce you have before you call us. Your consultation starts with your situation, and we lay out the realistic paths, the likely timeline for each, and what they cost. Then we build the strategy around your goals. Call 310-917-1044 to get started.
High Net Worth Divorce in Santa Monica
Santa Monica divorces often involve wealth that took decades to build: businesses, professional practices, equity compensation, investment portfolios, and real estate on some of the most valuable streets in California. When that much is on the table, mistakes are measured in six and seven figures. Hayat Family Law handles high net worth divorce with the financial rigor these cases demand and the discretion clients in this community expect.
Businesses and Professional Practices
A business is often the largest asset in a high asset divorce, and the fight over its value decides everything downstream. We coordinate business valuations with qualified experts, separate community growth from separate property, and structure settlements that let the business survive the divorce. If you own a company or a practice, protecting it starts with getting the valuation right.
Equity Compensation and Investments
From Silicon Beach stock options and RSUs to brokerage accounts and deferred compensation, we divide complex financial assets correctly, including the tax consequences that are easy to overlook. When the numbers are large and the paper trail is complicated, we work with forensic accountants to trace every dollar before anyone talks settlement.
Privacy and Discretion
High profile clients cannot afford a messy public divorce, and we structure cases accordingly. Private negotiation, mediation, and carefully drafted agreements keep your finances and your personal life out of the spotlight wherever possible. Call 310-917-1044 for a confidential consultation.
Military Divorce Lawyer in Santa Monica
Military divorces follow California law, but they play by an additional set of federal rules that most family lawyers rarely touch. Service members and military spouses across Southern California trust Hayat Family Law because we handle these cases regularly, from active duty families to veterans and reservists living right here on the Westside. If your marriage involves the military, you need a firm that understands both systems.
Military Pensions and Benefits
Dividing military retirement pay is one of the most technical parts of any divorce, and errors here cost clients money for decades. We handle military pension division, Survivor Benefit Plan elections, TRICARE eligibility, and the rules that determine how and when payments get made. These details are not optional. They are the difference between a settlement that works and one that fails at retirement.
Deployments, PCS Moves, and Custody
Military life does not pause for family court. Deployments, training schedules, and permanent change of station orders all affect custody, and California law provides specific protections for serving parents. We build parenting plans around the reality of military service, including virtual visitation and clear terms for what happens when orders change.
Serving Military Families Across Southern California
Our military divorce practice serves families stationed across the region, and consultations can happen by phone and video so distance is never a barrier. Whether you are the service member or the spouse, we explain your rights in plain language before anyone files anything. Call 310-917-1044 to speak with us about your case.
Spousal Support and Alimony in Divorce
After the property questions, spousal support is usually the biggest financial issue in a Santa Monica divorce. Whether you expect to pay support or receive it, the amount and the duration will shape your finances for years. California gives judges wide discretion here, which means preparation and strategy matter more than almost anywhere else in your case.
How California Decides Support
Courts weigh a list of statutory factors: the length of the marriage, each spouse’s earning capacity, the marital standard of living, age, health, and contributions to the other spouse’s career. There is no simple formula for long term support, which is why support is negotiated so hard. We build your position on documented budgets and real evidence, not guesses.
Short Marriages and Long Marriages
California treats marriages under 10 years very differently from longer ones. Shorter marriages usually mean support for a limited period, while long term marriages can carry support with no fixed end date. Understanding which side of that line your marriage sits on changes the entire negotiation, and it affects the overall cost of your divorce more than almost any other issue.
Modifications When Life Changes
Support orders are not always permanent. Job loss, retirement, remarriage, and major income changes can justify reducing, increasing, or ending support, but nothing changes until someone files. We handle post divorce modifications for both payers and recipients. Call 310-917-1044 to review your situation.
Property Division in Divorce
California is a community property state, which means most assets and debts acquired during the marriage belong to both spouses equally. Simple rule, complicated reality. Homes, retirement accounts, businesses, stock options, and separate property claims all have to be identified, valued, and divided correctly. We walk you through the framework that applies to your specific assets from day one.
Community Property and Separate Property
Not everything gets split. Property owned before the marriage, inheritances, and gifts are generally separate, but only if you can prove it with records. We trace separate contributions, untangle commingled accounts, and document reimbursement claims so what is yours stays yours.
The Family Home
For most Santa Monica couples, the house is the largest asset and the hardest decision. Sell it, buy out your spouse, or keep it for the children: each option has financial consequences that reach far beyond the divorce itself. We help you evaluate real estate decisions with real numbers, including appraisals, equity calculations, and what the mortgage actually costs on one income.
Debts Divide Too
Community property cuts both ways. Credit card balances, car loans, and other debts accumulated during the marriage all get allocated in a divorce, and creditors do not care what your judgment says. We structure debt division to protect you after the case closes, not just on paper. Call 310-917-1044 to start the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Divorce in Santa Monica
California law sets a six month minimum waiting period, counted from the date your spouse is served with the petition. No divorce can finalize sooner than that, even when both spouses agree on everything from day one.
In practice, the timeline depends on cooperation and complexity. An uncontested divorce with simple finances can finish right around the six month mark, while disputes over custody, support, or significant assets can stretch a case past a year. Clients who complete financial disclosures promptly and respond to settlement opportunities quickly keep their cases moving.
The honest answer is that cost depends on how much you and your spouse disagree. A cooperative divorce with a signed agreement costs a fraction of a contested case with multiple court hearings. Every case includes court filing fees, and fee waivers exist for those who qualify.
Beyond the fees, the biggest cost driver is conflict: each disputed issue adds attorney time, expert costs, and delays. Clients who arrive with organized financial documents and realistic expectations almost always spend less than clients who fight over everything. We discuss likely costs for your situation at the consultation.
Most divorces never see a courtroom. If you and your spouse reach a full agreement, the entire case can finish on paperwork: petition, disclosures, settlement, and judgment, all filed without a hearing. Even contested cases usually settle before trial through negotiation or mediation.
Court appearances become necessary when spouses genuinely cannot agree on an issue like custody or support, or when one side refuses to participate at all. Our approach is to resolve your case at the negotiating table whenever possible and to be fully prepared for the courtroom whenever necessary.
Your spouse cannot stop your divorce by ignoring it. California is a no fault state, and one spouse’s decision is enough. After your spouse is served, they generally have 30 days to respond.
If they do nothing, we ask the court to enter their default, and the case moves forward without their signature or cooperation. The court still reviews the proposed terms for fairness, and you complete your own financial disclosures, but the marriage ends on schedule. A spouse who refuses to engage simply gives up their voice in the outcome.
California is a community property state. Assets and debts acquired during the marriage generally belong to both spouses equally and get divided 50/50, no matter whose name is on the account or title. Property owned before the marriage, inheritances, and gifts usually remain separate, as long as they were kept separate and can be traced with records.
The complications come from mixed assets: a home one spouse owned before the wedding, retirement accounts that grew over decades, or a business started before the marriage that expanded during it. Identifying, valuing, and dividing these correctly is where experienced counsel earns its keep.
Every custody decision in California runs through one standard: the best interest of the child. Judges weigh each parent’s involvement in daily life, the stability of each home, the children’s health and safety, and each parent’s willingness to support the children’s relationship with the other parent. There is no legal preference for mothers or fathers.
Custody has two parts: legal custody covers major decisions like school and medical care, and physical custody covers where the children live. Most families end up with joint arrangements in some form, and before a judge hears a custody dispute, parents must attempt mediation through court connected services.
California uses a statewide guideline formula built on two main inputs: each parent’s net disposable income and the amount of time the children spend with each parent. Income is defined broadly and includes wages, bonuses, commissions, self employment earnings, and investment income.
More parenting time generally means lower support for the paying parent, because they cover expenses directly during their time. On top of the base figure, courts add amounts for employment related child care and uninsured medical costs. Support orders can be modified later if income or the custody schedule changes significantly, but only through a court filing.
Spousal support depends on the length of your marriage, each spouse’s earning capacity, the marital standard of living, age, health, and contributions each spouse made to the other’s career. Judges have wide discretion, which is why preparation and documentation matter so much.
For marriages under 10 years, support often lasts around half the length of the marriage. Marriages of 10 years or more are treated as long term, and the court can keep jurisdiction over support indefinitely. Support can also change after the divorce when circumstances shift, such as job loss, retirement, or remarriage of the supported spouse.
Filing first changes the mechanics of the case more than the outcome. The spouse who files controls the timing, chooses the venue when more than one county qualifies, and presents first if the case reaches a hearing.
But California is a no fault state, so the court does not reward or punish anyone for starting the case. Property, custody, and support are decided on the same legal standards regardless of who petitioned. What matters far more than filing first is being prepared when you file: organized documents, a clear picture of the finances, and a strategy built before the paperwork starts.
California allows self representation, and it can work for short marriages with no children, no property, and full agreement. Most real cases are not that simple. A house, retirement accounts, children, or any meaningful income gap turns divorce into a financial event with consequences that last decades, and mistakes in the judgment are expensive or impossible to fix later.
Even in friendly divorces, having a lawyer draft or review the settlement protects you from vague terms and missing disclosures. The consultation costs nothing. Call 310-917-1044 and we will tell you honestly how much help your situation actually needs.
Client Testimonials
Arsalan is a great attorney. He's very intelligent, easy to talk to, and genuinely cared about my case. Most of the other attorneys I contacted didn't show much compassion, but Arsalan did. Words cannot describe how much he has done for my daughter and I.
Martin Glover
Los Angeles, CA
My attorney was Arsalan and he was the most professional attorney that I have ever worked with. I was previously working with another law firm for my divorce, and they were completely incompetent. The other attorney lost my case, but with Arsalan, I got exactly what I wanted in one court date. I recommend this law firm.
Audrey Russell
Los Angeles, CA
Hayat Law is very professional and direct. It's nice to have attorneys that are always professional. Arsalan is a very hard worker and I am very happy with the outcome of our custody hearing. Thank you.
Pete Hugh
Santa Monica, CA
Our attorney, Arsalan, was refreshing and kind. The reason he got good results is because he actually listens and is deeply engaged in the case. I believe his kindness won over the judge as well.
Jacky Flint
Los Angeles, CA
Family Law Recent News
Are you looking for recent updates and news from Hayat Family Law? Read our blog to keep up to date with the laws regarding divorce, child custody, equitable distribution, domestic violence and property division.
