Bad Romance: Alimony and Child Support When Your Ex Has a New Mate
A divorce does not usually spell the end of a person’s ability to engage in intimate relationships. Many spouses find new partners and begin dating again after the dust of their divorce has settled. A new relationship is appealing because it gives people the chance to move beyond the painful memories of the past and […]
Reducing Your Child Support Payments When Unemployed
Child support is based on the assumption that paying parents have enough income to support both themselves and their children. But what if parents who once could pay support experience a drastically changed economic situation? What if they are now struggling just to support themselves? Child support payments can be modified to reflect a parent’s […]
Divorce or Legal Separation?
In everyday conversation, the words “divorce” and “separation” are often used interchangeably. Those who are getting a divorce may tell others that they are separating from their husband or wife. This is a mistake. In California, divorce and separation are two distinct legal terms. In fact, technically speaking, the term used in California is “dissolution.” […]
Moving with Children After a Divorce
After the pain of a divorce, many people wish to move far away. A divorced spouse in Los Angeles, for example, might dream of moving to New York or even overseas to start over. Clean the slate. Begin a new life. For adults without children, the decision to move is entirely up to them. If […]
Dad or Mom? A Child’s Preferences in Divorce
Christmas and Hanukkah are gift-giving holidays that only come once each year. But try telling this to children who are in the middle of their parents’ divorce. Often, as a divorce unfolds, children find themselves receiving gifts on a regular basis from one or both parents. Every day may seem like a festive holiday-minus the […]
Bifurcated Divorce: A Faster Way Forward
Speed is not a word that is typically used to describe divorce in California. The process resembles a sluggish crawl more than a rapid sprint. This is due in part to the legal procedures that must be completed to separate and the strong emotions that often flare between separating spouses. Add in scheduling issues for […]
Unhappy with the Judgment In Your Case? Now What?
The banging of a gavel usually symbolizes the end of a court case. When the gavel hits, those involved leave the courtroom and begin to move on with their lives. Judgment has been rendered and it is considered by most people to be final. To some, however, a gavel and the judgment that follows are […]
The Facts on Child Support
When two spouses become embroiled in a divorce they often put their children on the “back burner,” turning instead to their own personal crises inherent in this kind of life-changing event. The spouses often devote their attention to hiding and minimizing assets and looking for ways to “get back at” the other spouse. One of […]
How Much is it Really Worth? Understanding Breaches of Fiduciary Duty
In a divorce, both spouses are required to fully disclose their assets. This disclosure is considered a “fiduciary duty” that is very serious, very important, and essential disclosure for both parties to a dissolution proceeding. Disclosing assets is necessary in order to ensure that they are fairly divided. In a perfect world, both spouses would […]
Restraining Orders
In sport and in the working world, persistence is considered a virtue. Those who succeed, whether they are MVP of the team or President of the company, are often praised for how they “refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer.” Ironically, when the games are over and the board meetings have ended, this same quality […]