The divorce process in California starts with a summons and a petition, typically filed by a family law attorney at the petitioner’s request. A petition for dissolution of marriage is similar to a lawsuit, but instead of filing a lawsuit by a plaintiff against a defendant, a spouse files a petition (also known as the petitioner) and asks for a divorce against the other spouse, who is named as a respondent. If the divorce is contested, litigation is often necessary to resolve issues surrounding the separation. If the divorce is uncontested and both parties agree, they may want to consider mediation as a more amicable and affordable process of marriage dissolution.