Blog

Business Owners: Why Your Tax Return Doesn’t Dictate Support in California: When Addressing Alimony and Child Support Matters Expense Deductions on the Tax Returns of Small Business Owners Will Be Carefully Reviewed by the Court   If you own a small business or are divorcing someone who does (or you are in a child support… Read More »

Child Custody Mediation in California Family Law Courts: Putting Your Children First When you are facing a separation or divorce, the most stressful question is often: “What happens to our children?” In California, the legal system is designed to prioritize the well-being of your kids above all else. Before you ever step into a courtroom… Read More »

Don’t Let the Price Tag Separate You from Your Children: What “In re Reyna R.” Means for You. Imagine a reality where spending time with your children isn’t a right, but a luxury you have to pay for. This is the heart-wrenching situation many parents face when a family law court orders “professional visitation monitoring.”… Read More »

Securing Your Future: A Comprehensive Guide to California Parentage Actions and Choosing the Right Attorney For parents who were never married, establishing a legal relationship with their child—and securing court orders for custody, visitation, and support—requires navigating the legal system through what is known in California as a Parentage Action, formerly known as a Paternity… Read More »

California Child Support Enforcement: What Happens If a Parent Owes Past Due Child Support? If you are a parent who hasn’t received support which is due, or if you are a parent who is falling into “arrears” (past-due support), you should address the issue immediately, not ignore it. Here is what you need to know… Read More »

What is the California family law statute that addresses whether a child born during a marriage is the child of the husband? In California, the primary statute is Family Code § 7540, establishing the marital presumption of parentage, which presumes a child born to a wife living with her husband is the husband’s child, even… Read More »

Yesterday, while scrolling through FaceBook I came upon a profile devoted to answering legal questions.  Among other things I saw a post in which a person asked if they could marry one person while they were in a Registered Domestic Partnership with a different person. The responses were generally “Yeah, you can. A Domestic Partnership… Read More »

The Hidden Costs of Public Divorce: Why Private Mediation is the Smarter Path Forward Divorce is rarely just a legal process; it is a profound life transition. When a marriage dissolves, the emotional toll—dealing with betrayal, loss of trust, and a shifting identity—is heavy enough. Unfortunately, for many families in Southern California, the traditional court… Read More »

California’s New Joint Petition for Divorce—A Collaborative and Economical Start to Your Life’s New Chapter For decades, starting a divorce in California meant one spouse had to “sue” the other, creating an adversarial tone from day one. However, as of January 1, 2026, a new, transformative legal pathway—the Joint Petition for Dissolution, Judicial Council (Form FL-700), allows… Read More »

To challenge a California Voluntary Declaration of Paternity (VDOP), the putative father may need to  file a court request (Form FL-280) to cancel it, which involves getting a court hearing date, notifying the other parent, and potentially requesting genetic testing, with strict deadlines and grounds like fraud or coercion, especially if more than 60 days… Read More »