Family Law

As couples navigate their relationship, it’s common to consider ways to protect their assets and ensure financial security. For many, this leads to questions about prenuptial (prenup) and postnuptial (postnup) agreements—contracts designed to outline each person’s financial rights and obligations. While both are legal tools for managing financial matters within marriage, prenups and postnups differ in timing, focus, and circumstances for their creation. Understanding these differences can help couples make informed decisions about which option, if any, fits their unique needs.

In this blog, Read more . . .

After a divorce, many changes will take place automatically due to the divorce decree. The final judgment in a divorce can order property division, custody, child support, and alimony.

But some changes will need action on your part. Some of these changes are simple, like changing your name. But others will require some thought.
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When a marriage breaks down it can be really difficult. Divorces are commonly messy. Things can get even more contentious when there are children involved. Figuring out child custody can be difficult for everyone involved. But what happens when the custody you’re battling over is a companion animal?

It can be tough to figure out the custody of companion animals because they have historically been considered as property rather than family members by family courts.
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Apart from the emotional turmoil that typically surrounds a divorce, particularly if there are children involved, serious financial concerns will affect both parties. If you are wondering, or worrying, about how your lifestyle will be affected by the change in your marital status, you need a well-informed, highly skilled family law attorney to guide you through. While it is nice to think that you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse/partner will be able to agree on a fair distribution of assets and a reasonable division of debts, in most cases divorces become tug of wars.
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I’m occasionally asked to file a petition for legal name change for a client, and I’m always interested in why people want to take on a new moniker. Both famous people and ordinary folks change their names, and they usually have some very good reasons to do it. Let’s take a look at some of them.
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These are scary times as both women and men continue to come forward alleging serious sexual harassment incidents, many involving well-known celebrities. While all of this is at the forefront of the news and popular concern, a huge number of ordinary, everyday people suffer a wide range of harassment events, and we just don’t hear about them.

We allow so many frightening issues to remain hidden in dark shadows – violent events that cause injury in ways that can never be remedied. I’m thinking of domestic abuse – incidents that go far beyond sexual harassment of individuals in a social or business encounter. When violence becomes part of an intimate relationship, the result is often very serious lifelong physical or mental damage, and sometimes death.
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The best of intentions just don’t work out, sometimes. The fantastic advance of legal same sex marriage was a euphoric event for so many in the LGBTQ community. Some who hadn’t quite thought it through were caught up in the excitement. Others were so committed to their long-time partnership they didn’t realize how marriage would change their relationship. And some, like many humans, just couldn’t stick out the legal and binding commitment.

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Many of my LGBT clients have reached out to me in a panic wondering how the election of Donald Trump will impact their families, benefits, marriages, and other legal issues.  My advice….breathe, try to relax and let’s take a look at what the election MAY mean in the future.

In my opinion, the biggest issue is the future of the Supreme Court.    There is one vacancy that will now be filled by President-elect Trump.
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The No-Party Clause and Other Bumps in the Road

Everyone has questions from time to time about how to handle knotty problems that threaten to make life miserable. I get phone calls or emails from many of these people who hope that I can provide answers, or refer them on to someone who can. Some are minor issues or sad ones – and some of them are very serious. They cover a vast range of troubles that could happen to any of us. Here are a few recent questions that came up:

Question: Two friends and I get along really well, so we signed a lease on a house together.

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The Attorney General heads up the California Department of Justice (DOJ), and according to the department’s mission statement, has broad responsibilities to enforce laws fairly and impartially; ensure justice, safety and liberty for everyone; encourage economic prosperity, equal opportunity and tolerance; and safeguard California’s human, natural, and financial resources for this and future generations.  Justice is served by helping to prevent and prosecute criminal activity, protect consumers from victimization, and promote public safety.

The Attorney General can’t give specific legal advice about personal problems or represent individual Californians, but whether you realize it or not, your life is touched by many of the Attorney General’s actions every day. Here are some of the major areas that are designed to support your safety, general welfare, and quality of life:

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