I have a friend who is going through a pretty rough time right now in his marriage. He is considering filing for divorce, or asking his wife to file for divorce. Is there any advantage to the person who files first in California, and if so what are they? They have no children.
IANAL
Bragging rights? Other than that, none that I know of.
California has “no-fault” divorce and one of the most liberal divorce laws in the country.
I’m not your lawyer, or your friend’s lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice (as will soon become abundantly clear). I don’t practice family law, so have no clue whether there are benefits. However, most court houses have family law “clinics” (at least in the major courthouses), and there may be people there who can help your friend.