When the sole custodial parent—usually the biological mother—of a young child dies, who gets custody of the child left behind? The answer to that question can throw the entire surviving family into conflict and cause everyone to end up in court, wrangling over...
Keeping the cost of a divorce under control is usually a big concern for many people. Opting for unbundled legal services may be a convenient way to lower your legal costs during a divorce without lowering the quality of service that you receive. Unbundling is a form...
Why would the victim of a domestic violence assault need an attorney? Because without one, you stand a good chance of being victimized again in other ways.Immediately after a violent incident, the police may issue an emergency protective order. It's designed to keep...
An engagement ring often represents a serious financial and emotional investment on the part of a romantic couple. When the relationship falls apart, there can be a lot of anger and angst associated with that ring. Perhaps in recognition of the uniqueness of that...
No one can argue that domestic violence is a serious, ongoing problem in California and the rest of the United States. Every day we see and hear about the terrible consequences of these crimes. Broken lives, horrific injuries, traumatized children and even death are...
When a couple divorces, California family courts must determine what is community property and what is separate property before proceeding with the property division process. Marital or community property is usually the assets and debts the couple acquired together...
Imagine you are a child and your parents are divorcing. You know that things are going to be different and maybe a little scary, but you don't know exactly what is going to happen. One day, you are told that you will suddenly be splitting your time between both of...
Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples do not go into a marriage thinking that it will one day end. Unfortunately, the reality is that same-sex marriages end just as other marriages do. When divorce enters the picture, these couples often have just as many...
When it comes to the public's perspective on child support, many noncustodial fathers get a bad rap. The focus is often on the custodial parent who is entitled to receive child support. This is usually the mother. It is not fair to single out all fathers and think of...
It is difficult to find a domestic violence organization or group that uses the term domestic in tandem with financial abuse. Arguably, this is not because the two are unrelated but rather because the documentation offered by these organizations deals with one topic...