A Petition to Establish Parentage must be filed first to determine the identity of the father of a child born outside of marriage. If the mother doesn’t do so, then the Department of Child Support Services might do so, or … Read More
Child Custody
Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO)
A court order based on the division of a party’s pension or retirement benefits as part of a divorce. The QDRO orders the administrator of the pension plan to distribute a specified share of benefits to the nonemployee spouse at … Read More
What is Mediation?
Mediation & Collaborative Divorce: A way that parties can resolve their own dispute without going to court. In mediation, a neutral third party (the mediator) meets with the opposing sides to help them find a mutually satisfactory solution. Unlike a … Read More
Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders in California
Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders (ATRO’s) in California are printed on the back of the summons and effective as to both parties when filed. They prohibit disposal of property by any methodology, except for living expenses, which you would have to prove … Read More
Attorney Fees in California
Attorney Fees in CA, or “How Much Will This Cost”? The California Family Code directs trial courts to award attorney fees in a number of family law settings, including marital dissolutions, legal separations, support applications, domestic violence proceedings, paternity actions, … Read More
Child Custody & Modifications
My ex took the kids and won’t let me see them. How do I get custody? Child Custody and Modifications of Child Custody: Child custody still usually goes to the mother at the onset, unless the father is stay-at-home and … Read More