Blog Archives
After Marriage: Return to Your Birth Name?
At the time of marriage, it has been customary for the new wife to adopt her husband’s name. But after divorce, the former spouse may have many reasons to return to her birth name. This situation is probably best addressed … read more
Marital Settlement Agreement: Coming to Terms
A marital settlement agreement, known as an “MSA”, defines the terms of a divorce and forms the basis of the after divorce relationship of the former partners. The spouses may not have to go to court when using this method. … read more
The Engagement is Over: Whose Ring?
The engagement is over and the question of the engagement ring arises. Added to the emotional ruin, the parties involved must deal with the question of whether the engagement ring needs to be returned. Though most engagements lead to a … read more
Income Gap and Changing Spousal Support Roles
The shattering of the glass ceiling allows many women to continue to narrow the income gap, which has resulted in some unforeseen consequences, particularly when it comes to divorce. Also, with the current economic situation in California, many formerly well … read more
The Pretrial Phase of the Divorce Process
The pretrial phase of the divorce process is a significant step towards resolving your divorce. Many of the actions taken in the pretrial phase can have a lasting impact on your final divorce judgment. The period of time after you … read more
Establishing paternity and collecting child support
Establishing paternity, or determining a parent child relationship, is legally necessary in order to collect child support. If a child’s parents were not married to each other when the child was born, the law does not recognize the father unless … read more
Conservators: Managing the Affairs of Those Who Aren’t Able
Conservators are persons who have court-ordered authority and responsibility to manage the affairs of those who can no longer make their own decisions about finances or health care. Common examples of such situations include individuals suffering memory loss from Alzheimer’s … read more
Filing for Divorce: Estate Planning
When filing for divorce there are some estate planning factors to consider. In today’s society the word “estate” is used as a synonym for “wealth.” But the original meaning of the word “estate” was simply whatever a person owned at … read more
Third Person Child Custody: Best Interests of the Child
There are child custody situations where it is preferable that the a child does not remain with either of their natural, biological parents, but instead custody is awarded to a third person. This may occur because the biological parents do … read more
Protection of Assets: Fiduciary Duties
Often, in a marriage one of the partners will assume the major responsibility for the couples’ finances. In a legal sense, this person becomes a fiduciary. A fiduciary is an individual is who must act for the benefit of another … read more
