It wasn’t too long ago when I wrote about how little guideline child support has changed over the past 30 years. Change is now afoot. The California legislature has adopted SB-343 which modifies the formula for calculating child support and makes some notable...
There are many essential decisions that couples need to make while navigating their divorce. When a spouse takes the last name of their partner when they get married, they are given the option to restore their maiden name at the time of divorce. This week we explore...
Back in 2003 when I took my very first Divorce Mediation training there were about 18 of us enrolled in the week-long course. Three of us were divorce attorneys and everyone else was therapists. The course was taught by a Husband and Wife team where one was an...
Divorce Mediation and the Building of Tree Forts: A Lesson in Collaboration and Compromise I don’t have it listed prominently on my resume, but I am a climber of trees and a builder of tree forts. I never thought to add that to my credentials or point it out in my...
The Divorce Agreement. When couples divorce there are certain items that need to be dealt with to consider the divorce complete. These issues include ending the status of the marriage, addressing the custody and visitation of minor children, setting child and spousal...
In a recent study conducted by caring.com it was found that while 56% of those surveyed believed that estate planning was important, only 33% of Americans had actually formally completed their estate plan. Each state has laws that determine what happens to...
I have been on a mission to inform the world that there is a better way for couples to divorce than hiring attorneys and litigating through the Family Courts. I think most spouses are capable of working together with a divorce mediator to get fully educated on the...
Since I started mediating divorces in 2003 there have been a variety of housing trends over the years that have impacted dealing with houses in the divorces that I have handled. House values have skyrocketed then plummeted. Interest rates have fluctuated. ...
With COVID-19 making life uncertain, it can help to find ways to stay out of the backlogged court system. If you and your ex are trying to work through a divorce, or you are trying to settle a custody modification, mediation is the answer. When you work with a...
We live in a world where information changes by the minute and it now appears we have an opening day for the Courts! On May 26, 2020, after nearly 11 weeks of closure, the Court will be back open for more than just emergency orders. The clerk’s office has...