The Joint Petition for the Joint Divorce

It’s here and it’s a big change. I would say it’s a great change. I have been doing this for couples for years but now the only difference is lower cost and even more encouragement to collaborate to resolve their issues together.

California has introduced a major innovation for couples who want to end their marriage or domestic partnership without conflict, unnecessary expense, or the traditional adversarial court process. Beginning January 1, 2026, spouses who have reached a complete agreement on every issue in their divorce can now use FL‑700 — Joint Petition: Marriage or Domestic Partnership.

FL‑700 represents a cultural shift in family law. For decades, even the most amicable couples were forced into an adversarial structure simply to end their marriage. Now, California recognizes that not every divorce is a battle and the law finally provides a process that reflects that reality.

This new joint‑petition process is a significant shift in how California handles uncontested divorces. For couples who are aligned on all terms, FL‑700 offers a streamlined and cooperative way to dissolve a marriage. This is different from the typical process where one spouse files a Petition and the other files a Response, hence starting the ‘adversarial’ process.

If however there is any disagreement you cannot finalize prior to ending your divorce, you can conveniently switch over to the typical process and still within the court system you have opportunities to resolve your case. You can still resolve all the issues you agree upon, and then have the final solution of a judge for that one issue you may not resolve.

When couples come to me to mediate their divorce, typically always I can lead them to resolution on all issues. This joint form helps streamline the whole process. The other benefit to this form is that I can quickly also find out who should not use this form. This would be families where there is domestic violence, a very one-sided approach to finances, or a substantial disagreement with regard to caring for the children.

We’ve needed this form for a long time. Instead of one spouse “suing” the other, both spouses file to dissolve their contractual marriage together. This sets a collaborative tone from the beginning. Divorce is hard enough. For spouses who have already done the hard work of reaching a full agreement, FL‑700 offers an efficient and family‑centered way to close that chapter and move on.