Courts are extending visitation rights to stepparents and extended family
Several years ago I had a client - who, of course, shall remain nameless. He considered himself the father of two girls. His eldest, as he called her, had been…
Several years ago I had a client - who, of course, shall remain nameless. He considered himself the father of two girls. His eldest, as he called her, had been…
One of the most rewarding aspects of practicing law is helping people who need and deserve assistance. At times, however, our legal system can feel more like a barrier than…
It is always good to remind ourselves that the words we use in pleadings filed with the Court are very, very important. What you tell your Family Court Services mediator…
According to California Family Code sections 3100 through 3105, a grandparent can ask the court for reasonable visitation with a grandchild. There is a twofold test grandparents must pass with…
For further information, please see Parts 1-4 for definitions, context, and discussions of the contractual and contemporaneous mutual consent approaches. Again, our thanks to our law clerk, R. Benjamin Vojtik,…
The knee-jerk argument that a parent has a "constitutional right" to drink alcohol seems to appear on my event horizon about once every other month. Most commonly, this is an…
If two parents cannot agree on a parenting plan, even after child-centered mediation, then the parties are going to have to appear in front of the Judge. In non-recommending mediation…
California requires child-centered custodial mediation with Family Court Services for all cases in which the parties do not agree on a custodial plan for their own children. What is mediation…
Many people come into my office, and I overhear them in court, stating that he/she wants "full custody" of the children. At law in California, there is no such thing…
We decided you'd perhaps like to have some more practical advice... and the best way to do that is to give you examples of flame-outs we have seen (or assisted)…