New Domestic Violence Statutes – Effect on Support, Custody & Property Rights, Part 2 of 3
As stated in the first installment on this topic, new laws went into effect in California on January 1, 2019, which constitute a significant reform of our domestic violence statutes. That reform continues the tendency of California's legislature to increasingly...
The Importance of Family Law Attorneys in Family Law Cases
The public was quite interested in the recent case, Howard (Ghent) v Howard, in which Terence Howard sought to overturn a stipulated judgment in which he agreed to pay his ex-wife, Michelle Ghent, exorbitant sums of money as and for...
The Reason for This Rule Has Expired.
Most court files are maintained as public records. In our Family Law courts, all records are deemed public unless there is a compelling reason to seal the record. See California Rules of Court, Rule 2.550(c). As a matter of law,...
The Morality of the Law Part 1 of 3
Walking through the halls of various courthouses in Southern California, I overhear people saying, "That isn't fair," or "How can he/she do that to me/our kids? Isn't that wrong?" and the essential, unvoiced question is always, "How can the Court...
The Morality of the Law Part 2 of 3
When I was just getting started as an attorney, a well-known practitioner of my art offered me a job. He said, that by working for him, I would "learn the rape-burn-pillage-and-kill side of the law, not the fairytale version." Perhaps...
The Morality of the Law Part 3 of 3
Most legal codes agree that certain behavior is wrong. Most demand simple justice: you did this bad thing, you get this punishment. Our legal code allows for that beautiful element of mercy to be blended with justice. The history of...
A Therapist is a Good Tool for People Involved in a Family Law Case
Stress, Stress, and More Stress. Family law proceedings are psychologically stressful, emotionally grueling, and financially taxing. I read somewhere that the five most stressful life events a person can go through are divorce, death of a spouse, death of a...