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Before she filed for divorce, Sharon used to say that Mark's favorite pastime was speaking his mind, especially when it was to put her down. Now that the divorce is in progress, it's like he's forgotten how to talk. He also acts like his memory has been erased, answering, “I don't know” to all qu...

Jeff is concerned about his nine-year-old son, Ethan. The boy has been behaving strangely, and he suspects that his former wife, Tanya, is to blame. It began when Jeff started seeing his new girlfriend, Rosa. Although Jeff introduced Ethan and Rosa and the two seemed to hit it off, during the nex...

Albert and Shannon have decided to get a divorce. Their friends and family are not surprised, as both parties have been unhappy for a while now. Unfortunately, their attitude towards each other during the divorce is equally predictable. Shannon is determined to have both legal and physical custo...

You might be surprised to know that a California divorce agreement is not always set in stone. Although its terms address the current and anticipated needs and circumstances of both spouses, we all know that life can present us with unexpected changes such as job loss, disability, or sudden medic...

For the longest time, Katie didn't realize that she was in an abusive relationship. At first, Eric raised his voice when she disagreed with him and called her fat and ugly, even comparing her to other women. Soon, nothing she did was ever good enough. When he became angry, he would throw things a...

When Mark and Sarah got married, Sarah decided to quit her job and become a stay-at-home mom. After several years, the couple decided to divorce. Sarah planned to re-enter the workforce, but knew she still needed spousal support to make ends meet following the divorce. Sarah has two options. She...

With beautiful weather taking hold and Memorial Day weekend fresh in our memories, it feels as if summer is finally here. Soon, your school-age children will be coming home with their final report cards, ready for their summer vacation. This year is different, however. You and your spouse have re...

You and your spouse have decided to divorce, so you know that all the cars, real estate, and other assets you acquired or received during the five years you were married are subject to division. But what about your credit card balances? Your spouse's student loans? The money that your business ow...

Although divorce has the potential to be a long, bitter, and costly undertaking, litigation is no longer the default method of settling matters like property division, child custody and support, and spousal support. Mediation allows you and your spouse to work with a professional mediator to come...

There are two ways to legally dissolve a marriage in California: divorce and annulment. Although they achieve similar outcomes, divorce is the legal termination of a valid marriage while annulment is a confirmation that the marriage technically never existed. That is, once a union is annulled, it...

When someone else is physically or verbally abusing you, California law has certain mechanisms in place to protect you. The most commonly used tool is the restraining order, which is a temporary or permanent court order issued to prevent someone from approaching or otherwise contacting you. Restr...

There are few things more frustrating than dealing with a co-parent or former spouse who intentionally disregards a court order, whether it be to allow visitation, pay spousal support, or comply with any other condition of your separation or divorce. If you find yourself in this situation, contem...

In California family law, a ‘move-away' case occurs when one divorced or separated parent wants to move to another geographic location with their children, leaving the other parent behind. Because the children are likely to lose regular contact with one of their parents, these situations are defi...

You've been fighting with your former spouse to get him or her to pay child support, and nothing seems to be working. There is even a court order in place, but he or she ignores your calls, emails, and texts. What else can you do? When someone violates a California court order they can be found i...

In California, an increasing number of divorcing couples are using mediation to resolve child custody matters. Unlike litigation, mediation gives parents the opportunity to work together and come up with a custody arrangement that is in the best interests of the children. The cooperative attitude...

Imagine this scenario. Greg is a San Jose computer programmer who has fallen in love with Simone, a French national who is situated in his department. Simone holds an H-3 nonimmigrant visa, and has come to Greg's office to receive training in a computer communications system not currently availab...

It is never easy to separate a child from a parent. The separation may leave a significant impact on the child's development and overall quality of life. It will affect the amount of time the child will spend with the other parent. Depending on the age of the child, they may not be mentally or em...

California family law has a presumption that under most circumstances, property acquired by either spouse while married becomes part of the marital estate and is subject to division upon divorce. There is one notable exception, and that is Social Security benefits. This is because these payments ...

In California, there are two types of child custody orders: legal and physical. The latter calls for the establishment of custodial timeshare agreements, which indicate how much time each parent spends with their children and, consequently, how much child support the parent with primary custody i...

Child custody cases can be confusing, and one of the questions we're often asked is, “What is the difference between legal custody and physical custody?” Here's our explanation. Both of these terms have to do with the parent's, or legal guardian's, rights regarding their children's care. These ch...

A frequently asked question in my family law firm: “I am Hindu, married in India. Can I get a divorce here?” In the years that I have been operating my law firm, the same questions have come up, time and time again. One of these common questions is regarding whether a couple can get a divorce her...

Dividing the family home is arguably one of most of the most complicated and contentious parts of a California divorce. The matter of division becomes even more difficult when one spouse bought the home while single and had a mortgage that was partly paid off during the marriage. California famil...

Here's a few reasons why mediation is beneficial in many divorce cases, especially those that involve child custody and visitation. Divorce is rarely an easy undertaking, but it becomes far more difficult when there are children involved. Luckily, there are ways to make the process go more smooth...

What is domestic violence? Domestic violence occurs when physical assault and battery, willful intimidation, threats, controlling, and other harmful behaviors occur between people in a committed relationship. Both husbands and wives can suffer from domestic abuse, and if there are children in the...

Restricted stock units (RSUs) are becoming a more common type of equity compensation for California employees. Instead of getting the stock immediately, they receive it according to the terms of a vesting plan and distribution schedule after remaining with the company for a certain amount of time...