Will I Have to Pay Spousal Support?

We discussed using a Collaborative Divorce process where Julie is separately represented by a Collaboratively-trained attorney with prior experience on various spousal support outcomes. We could involve mutually agreed upon mental health coaches and/or neutral financial professionals to look at emotional concerns and property division settlement options. This would save them both the cost of hiring different experts to testify in court at $500 or more an hour, while also paying their litigation attorneys’ fees to cross-examine each expert, and waiting 90 days for the judge to make a ruling. And the ruling could be quite unfavorable.

Gray Divorce – “Why Did You Leave Grandpa?”

The Melinda and Bill Gates’ divorce is currently making headlines, with some speculation as to “why,” but mostly because of the complexity of the division of their enormous wealth within their foundations. Our attention as divorce professionals however is...

3 Ways to Manage Kids’ Expenses after the Divorce

Certain mandatory shared children’s expenses are defined in the CA Income and Expense declaration which include: child care for job training and/or work, medical care, special educational needs, and travel related to visitation. But what about other expenses such as extracurricular sports, private school, orthodontia, tutors, birthday parties, even haircuts?

My Wife Had an Affair – Do I Have to Pay Her Spousal Support?

Your feelings around your spouse’s infidelity are natural, understandable, and important. Feelings of hurt, betrayal, anger, shock, rage, and so on are to be expected when one’s partner has been unfaithful.  Your feelings around the affair, whatever they might be, are...

5 Reasons to Stay Out of Court

As a retired Superior Court Family Law Commissioner, I firmly believe that if you can find a way to stay out of court, do so for the following reasons: Time Constraints – The Family Court system is underfunded and understaffed.  Even a relatively simple case can...