Family Law and Divorce in Arapahoe County, Colorado

Bilingual representation — dissolution, parental responsibilities, child support, and more — for Arapahoe County families in Aurora, Centennial, Englewood, and Littleton.

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Exterior of a county courthouse building — representing Arapahoe County District Court, where 18th Judicial District family law and domestic relations cases are heard

Introduction

Your family is the thing you’re fighting for. Custody of your children. A fair division of what you built together. Clarity about where you live and how you move forward. In Arapahoe County, those fights happen in a specific courthouse, in a specific judicial district, under specific Colorado rules — and a bilingual legal team that understands all of it makes a real difference.

Novo Legal Group is a Spanish-first firm. Every attorney and staff member is bilingual in English and Spanish. We serve Arapahoe County families — from Aurora’s Spanish-speaking communities to Centennial, Englewood, and Littleton — with the same fierce advocacy we bring to every matter we touch.

Colorado domestic-relations law is the framework. How your case plays out depends on who is in your corner, whether your situation fits within the scope of a Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessional, and whether you need a Novo attorney when the matter calls for more. We are direct about which is which. This page tells you how it works in Arapahoe County.

Ready to talk through your situation?

Call (888) 746-5245 or schedule a consultation — we answer in English and Spanish.

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Arapahoe County Family Law — Who We Help

Spanish-First, Bilingual Domestic-Relations Help for Arapahoe County Families

Arapahoe County is home to Aurora — one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Colorado, with a substantial Spanish-speaking community. For many families in the Aurora area and across Arapahoe County, finding a legal team that works natively in Spanish is not a preference; it is a necessity. Court notices arrive in English. Deadlines do not accommodate language barriers. Documents need to be understood, not guessed at.

Novo Legal is not a firm with a Spanish-speaking receptionist and attorneys who handle the hard work in English. Spanish is how we practice. Our attorneys and legal professionals handle every part of a domestic-relations matter bilingually. That means consultations, document preparation, court filings, and representation — all in the language that works best for you.

Our Colorado family-law practice was built around this reality. We are community-rooted. We understand that a custody question is not just a legal question — it is a question about your family’s daily life, your children’s school, and your sense of stability in this country.

Mixed-Status Households: Family-Law Questions Without Immigration Assumptions

Many Arapahoe County families are mixed-status: one partner may be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident; another may be undocumented or on a visa. These households face family-law situations all the time — divorce, parenting-time disputes, protection orders — and immigration status shapes how they feel about engaging with any legal system.

Here is what Colorado family law says clearly: your immigration status does not determine your family-law rights. Colorado courts decide dissolution, parental responsibilities, and support based on Colorado law — not on your citizenship or documentation. Your immigration status is not a legal bar to filing, to seeking parenting time, or to seeking support in a Colorado court — though practical access and specific circumstances always require individual evaluation.

What immigration status may affect is the immigration consequences of certain orders or agreements — and that is a different analysis, one that belongs with an attorney who understands both sides. We issue-spot those intersections. We do not make blanket eligibility statements, and we do not give immigration advice in the context of a family-law consultation. What we do is flag what warrants individual review so nothing slips through.

Serving Aurora, Centennial, Englewood, and Littleton

Arapahoe County spans a large and diverse portion of the Denver metro area. The cities and communities we serve within Arapahoe County include:

Aurora (Arapahoe County portion) — the largest city in the county and one of the most culturally diverse in Colorado
Centennial — home to the Arapahoe County Justice Center, the primary courthouse for the 18th Judicial District
Englewood — a densely populated city with its own distinct demographic profile
Littleton (Arapahoe County portion) — location of the second Arapahoe County courthouse
Greenwood Village, Sheridan, Cherry Hills Village — smaller communities within Arapahoe County

If you live in Arapahoe County and are facing a family-law matter, your case is heard in Arapahoe County courts — not Denver County, not Douglas County. We know these courts, these filings, and this judicial district.

How a Family-Law Case Works in Arapahoe County

Where an Arapahoe County Domestic-Relations Case Is Heard

Arapahoe County has two District Court locations, and both are part of the same judicial district. If you are filing or responding to a domestic-relations matter in Arapahoe County, your case is heard at one of these locations:

Arapahoe County Justice Center
7325 S. Potomac St., Centennial, CO 80112
Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (closed state holidays)

Arapahoe County Courthouse — Littleton
1790 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton, CO 80120
Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (closed state holidays)

Both locations are open for filing during those hours. Which location handles your specific domestic-relations case — whether the matter is assigned to the Justice Center in Centennial or to the Littleton courthouse — is a question that depends on the division assignment at the time of filing. When navigating this, a legal professional who knows the 18th Judicial District’s current practices is worth the time.

Self-represented litigants can access e-filing resources through the Colorado Judicial Branch at coloradojudicial.gov. Spanish-language self-help materials are available at the court, and interpreter services can be reached at (303) 645-6857 or 18interpreter@judicial.state.co.us. Novo clients are not self-represented — but we think you should know these resources exist.

Which Judicial District Serves Arapahoe County

Arapahoe County is served by the 18th Judicial District — and it is now the district’s only county. Colorado’s judicial branch reorganization created the 23rd Judicial District, which now serves Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties. That reorganization left Arapahoe County as the sole county in the 18th Judicial District.

What this means practically: there is no overlap, no shared judicial district, and no question about whether your Arapahoe County case is in the same district as Douglas County. It is not. Your case stays within the 18th Judicial District, with the judges and court staff assigned specifically to Arapahoe County matters.

Colorado Terms That Matter — APR, Not “Custody”; Dissolution, Not “Divorce”

Colorado uses specific legal terms that differ from what most people search online. Understanding the terminology matters because it determines what is in your court order and how it is enforced.

Dissolution of marriage is the correct legal term in Colorado for what most people call divorce. The standard is “irretrievable breakdown” of the marriage — Colorado is a no-fault state, which means neither party is required to prove fault or wrongdoing to obtain a dissolution. For more on the process, see our guide to dissolution of marriage in Colorado.

Allocation of Parental Responsibilities (APR) is the Colorado term for what most people call custody. APR has two components: decision-making (who makes major decisions about the child’s education, health care, and religion) and parenting time (the schedule for when the child is with each parent). Courts determine APR based on the best interests of the child. For a full treatment, see our page on allocation of parental responsibilities.

Spousal maintenance is the Colorado term for alimony or spousal support. Colorado law provides a guideline formula based on income and the length of the marriage, though courts have discretion in applying it. Our page on spousal maintenance covers how that formula works.

These are not just vocabulary differences. Using the right terms in documents, motions, and agreements matters for how your case is processed and how orders are enforced in Arapahoe County courts.

The Arapahoe County DR Matters We Handle

Dissolution of Marriage

Colorado dissolves marriages on the ground of irretrievable breakdown. One spouse can file; the other does not need to agree. If you have been domiciled in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing, you generally meet the residency requirement to file in Colorado. A dissolution case in Arapahoe County resolves issues including property division, debt allocation, parenting arrangements, child support, and spousal maintenance. A straightforward dissolution with no contested issues may be handled by a Licensed Legal Paraprofessional; cases with business assets, contested property, or significant complexity typically require attorney representation. See our dissolution of marriage in Colorado page for a step-by-step breakdown of the process.

Allocation of Parental Responsibilities (APR)

Whether you are divorcing or were never married, if you have children, the question of parental responsibilities requires a court order. Arapahoe County courts — like all Colorado courts — determine APR based on the best interests of the child, looking at factors including the child’s relationships with each parent, adjustment to home and school, and the willingness of each parent to support the child’s relationship with the other. Parenting time schedules, decision-making allocation, and parenting plans are all part of an APR order. For a full explanation, see our page on allocation of parental responsibilities.

Child Support

Colorado uses an income-shares model for child support, meaning both parents’ incomes are factored into the calculation, along with parenting time, medical insurance costs, and childcare expenses. The result is a guideline amount, though courts can deviate from the guideline in specific circumstances. Child support orders from an Arapahoe County court can be modified if circumstances change substantially. For a full treatment of how child support in Colorado is calculated and modified, see our statewide child-support page.

Spousal Maintenance

Arapahoe County courts apply Colorado’s maintenance guidelines when a dissolution involves a significant income disparity between spouses. The guideline formula considers the length of the marriage and each party’s income. Courts may deviate from the guideline amount or duration based on the specific circumstances of the case — including each spouse’s financial resources, earning capacity, and contributions to the marriage. For an in-depth explanation of how the formula works and when courts deviate, see our spousal maintenance page.

Post-Decree Modifications

An Arapahoe County court order is not necessarily permanent. Parenting time, decision-making allocation, and child support can often be modified after the original order if there has been a substantial and continuing change in circumstances. Life changes — a parent relocating, a child’s needs shifting, a significant income change — are common grounds for seeking modification. Spousal maintenance modification follows its own standards. Our post-decree modifications page covers what qualifies and how the process works.

Protection Orders Within a Domestic Case

When a domestic-relations case involves domestic violence, harassment, or threats, a protection order may be necessary alongside or independent of the dissolution or APR matter. In Colorado, protection orders in domestic cases are within the scope of what a Licensed Legal Paraprofessional may handle in defined circumstances. Our protection orders in domestic cases page explains the process, what a protection order covers, and how it intersects with an ongoing DR matter.

Who Handles Your Arapahoe County Matter — LLP Scope and Attorney Escalation

A Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessional for In-Scope Issues

Colorado’s Licensed Legal Paraprofessional program authorizes a new category of legal professional to represent clients — independently, not under attorney supervision — in defined domestic-relations matters. Under C.R.C.P. Rule 207.1, the in-scope matters include dissolution of marriage, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support, spousal maintenance, protection orders within a domestic case, name changes, post-decree modifications, and two-party parentage matters.

At Novo Legal, Fernanda Soto is the firm’s LLP handling family-law matters. She is not an attorney, and she does not hold any attorney title — she is a licensed Colorado LLP authorized to represent clients in the specific in-scope domestic-relations matters listed above. When your matter falls within LLP scope, she handles it directly. That is not a lesser service; it is representation by a specialist in exactly that category of case.

What is outside LLP scope matters too: appeals, contempt proceedings, business-asset valuation, third-party custody matters, immigration-consequence analysis, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, QDROs, and disputed common-law marriage cases require attorney representation. When a matter starts in LLP scope and grows more complex, it escalates inside the same firm — you do not need to find a new attorney.

A Novo Attorney When the Matter Exceeds LLP Scope

Some Arapahoe County domestic-relations matters require the depth, judgment, and authority of a licensed attorney. Novo Legal’s family-law attorneys take cases that exceed LLP scope — including contested dissolutions with significant assets, cases involving domestic violence overlapping with criminal proceedings, international custody matters, contempt and enforcement proceedings, and cases with substantial immigration-consequence questions that need individual analysis.

The test is not whether your case feels complicated to you — it often does — but whether the legal issues it presents fall within defined LLP scope. We are direct about making that call. When attorney representation is what your case needs, that is what you get at Novo Legal.

How Matter-Specific Screening Works

Every new Arapahoe County family-law inquiry at Novo Legal goes through an intake screening to determine what the matter involves, what scope it falls into, and who is the right person to handle it. You are not screened into a tier by a form on a website — intake is a conversation, in the language that works for you. Based on what you describe, we route the matter to LLP scope or attorney scope, and we tell you why.

If your matter is not within what Novo Legal handles — or if we are not the right fit for reasons specific to your situation — we will tell you that, too.

Protecting Your Rights When Power or Status Is Unequal

Rights-Forward, Gender-Inclusive Support for Arapahoe County Families

Family-law matters are not always between parties with equal power. Domestic violence, financial control, and immigration-status asymmetry can all create situations where one person in a relationship has far more leverage than the other. Novo Legal’s approach is rights-forward: our job is to make sure that legal leverage does not override legal rights.

Colorado family law is gender-inclusive. Courts apply the best-interests standard to APR without assuming that any gender is the default parent. Courts distribute marital property equitably without assuming either party’s contributions are more important. Rights in a domestic-relations matter belong to both parties — and they belong to you regardless of how the power balance inside the relationship has felt.

If a protection order is part of what your situation requires, that is a legitimate legal tool and we treat it as one. If documenting a history of control or coercion is necessary for your case, that work happens inside the representation, not around it.

Why Your or a Partner’s Immigration Status Does Not Decide Your Family-Law Rights

Colorado courts determine domestic-relations matters under Colorado law. Immigration status is not a factor in who receives parenting time, who receives child support, or how marital property is divided. A parent who is undocumented has the same right to be heard on APR as a parent who is a citizen. A spouse who is on a visa has the same right to seek spousal maintenance as a spouse who was born here.

What immigration status can affect is your strategic calculus — whether certain agreements or orders create immigration implications that should be weighed carefully. That analysis requires an individual review by someone who understands both areas of law. At Novo Legal, we flag those intersections rather than paper over them.

If you are worried that engaging with the family-law system will create immigration risk, that is a question worth addressing directly in a consultation — not a reason to stay out of a system you have every right to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which court hears an Arapahoe County divorce or custody case?

Arapahoe County domestic-relations cases are heard in the 18th Judicial District. There are two courthouse locations: the Arapahoe County Justice Center at 7325 S. Potomac St., Centennial, CO 80112, and the Arapahoe County Courthouse — Littleton at 1790 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton, CO 80120. Both locations are open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are closed on state holidays. Which specific location handles your domestic-relations filing depends on division assignment at the time of filing — confirm with the court clerk or with your legal representative when your case is initiated. Source: Colorado Judicial Branch.

Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to file for divorce or custody in Arapahoe County?

No. Colorado does not require U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status to file for dissolution of marriage or to participate in allocation of parental responsibilities proceedings. The residency requirement for dissolution is that one spouse has been domiciled in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing — not that either spouse is a citizen. Courts determine parental responsibilities and child support based on the best interests of the child and the income of the parents, not on immigration status. If you have questions about how your specific immigration circumstances intersect with your family-law situation, those questions are best addressed in a confidential consultation.

Can you help me in Spanish?

Yes. Novo Legal is a Spanish-first firm — every attorney and legal professional on the family-law team is bilingual. You can schedule your consultation in Spanish, conduct all meetings in Spanish, and have all documents explained in Spanish. There is no translation step, no intermediary. This is how we practice.

What is a Licensed Legal Paraprofessional, and who will handle my case?

A Licensed Legal Paraprofessional (LLP) is a Colorado-authorized legal professional who can independently represent clients in defined domestic-relations matters, including dissolution, parental responsibilities, child support, maintenance, protection orders within a domestic case, and post-decree modifications. An LLP is not a paralegal or a document preparer — an LLP represents you in court and in negotiations. At Novo Legal, Fernanda Soto is the firm’s LLP handling family-law matters. If your case requires something outside LLP scope — contested business assets, appeals, immigration-consequence analysis, or other attorney-scope issues — a Novo attorney handles that part.

How is child support or parenting time set in an Arapahoe County case?

Child support in Arapahoe County is calculated using Colorado’s income-shares model, which considers both parents’ gross incomes, the parenting time each parent exercises, childcare costs, and health insurance expenses. The result is a guideline amount that courts apply unless there is a specific reason to deviate. Parenting time is set based on the best interests of the child — there is no presumption in favor of equal time, though many Arapahoe County cases result in parenting plans with meaningful time for both parents. For a full explanation of how child support in Colorado is calculated, see our statewide child-support page.

Why Novo Legal Group

Arapahoe County has no shortage of family-law attorneys. What it does not have — from any visible competitor — is a Spanish-first firm that offers LLP-economics with in-house attorney backup, understands mixed-status household realities, and knows the specific courts and processes of the 18th Judicial District.

We do not pitch ourselves as the most aggressive litigators or the highest-volume firm. We pitch ourselves as the team that gives your family’s matter the attention it deserves — in the language that works for you, at the right scope for what your case actually needs. When your matter is an LLP-scope case, you get focused LLP representation. When it requires an attorney, you have one without switching firms, starting over, or paying twice.

Novo Legal Group is a Spanish-first firm. Every member of the family-law team is bilingual. Our practice exists because we believe families in the Arapahoe County community — especially families who have not historically seen themselves reflected in law firm marketing — deserve fierce, capable, honest representation.

To schedule a consultation, call (888) 746-5245 (tel:+18887465245) or visit https://www.novo-legal.com/en/contact. We answer in English and Spanish.