Divorce and Family Law

“I want a divorce.” Now what? While I cannot help you save your marriage, I can help you maneuver through the divorce, custody, and support proceedings which will follow the decision to end your marriage. Whether you’re filing for divorce or responding to your soon-to-be ex-spouse’s Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, I will provide you with insight and counsel to help get you through the process. Sometimes the obvious answer isn’t always the best one. Together, we can figure out how to get you through your divorce and beyond the legal wrangling. And if there are children involved, then I will do all I can to make sure California’s best interest of the child rule is placed above the interests of an over-reaching spouse in a custody battle. Before you step foot in your lawyer’s office, have the following information at your fingertips:
  • All checking account numbers
  • All savings account numbers
  • All credit card account numbers
  • All IRA, 401K, or other retirement account numbers
  • All life insurance policies
  • The deed to your property/properties
  • The year, license plate number, and VINs of all your vehicles
  • A current list of major financial holdings (real estate, stocks, investment accounts)
  • A current list of jewelry
  • Your spouse’s social security number
  • Your children’s social security numbers
  • Your children’s passports
This information will be needed as you begin the divorce process — having this information handy will save you a lot of time later, and if you can bring photo copies of documents, all the better. This office does not participate in, and rejects the theory of, collaborative law at this time. Collaborative law currently requires that the parties agree not to take advantage of the mistakes or oversights of the other party or the other party’s attorney. It is the view of this office that such requirement in essence creates a permissible conflict of interest and is therefore in direct and impermissible conflict with the sacrosanct duty of loyalty of the attorney to his or her client.