What Happens At A Mandatory Settlement Conference?

During the course of a family law matter, such as divorce, legal separation or dissolution of domestic partnership, many California courts offer the option of a scheduled “settlement conference.” In some counties, including San Diego, this is a mandatory proceeding, should the parties be unable to resolve their dispute among themselves. It is, in essence,

What Happens to Child and Spousal Support When an Ex-Spouse Remarries?

There’s a common misconception about how a person’s support obligation changes after an ex-spouse remarries. For purposes of this discussion, let’s say Joe is paying child support to his ex-wife, Traci, for their daughter Angela. After a year or so of being on her own, Traci meets, falls in love with and marries a plastic

What Happens When You Marry Someone with Support or Debt Obligations?

These days, it’s not uncommon for a person to marry someone who comes with some financial “baggage”— that is, with debts or support obligations of some kind. Here’s a fairly typical scenario: Jane comes to my office seeking information about getting a prenuptial agreement. Her fiancé, Frank, is saddled with several types of obligations. Her

What to Do When a Family Member Dies

In recent weeks, it’s been my sad misfortune to lose two close relatives in my family. After the initial shock of the loss of each beloved family member, I have been swamped with questions from other family members and friends about what to do (in terms of legal obligations) when a loss like this occurs.

Representing Yourself in Court and Other Low Cost Options

For many people facing a legal issue, the first thought that generally comes to mind is how much will this cost in attorney’s fees? The good news is that there are numerous types of cases in California where being represented by an attorney is not a necessity.  As a general rule, you may not need

When Should You Get a Trust?

A trust is a document created to manage your assets – property, financial holdings, personal belongings, not only during your lifetime, but after you’re gone. There are generally three kinds of trusts to consider in your estate planning: Living trust—A document concerning the management of your assets which can be amended or revoked at any

Who Gets the Family Pet After a Divorce?

Disputes over personal property are common in most divorce proceedings. Any family law attorney can likely tell you about clients who argued endlessly over who should get possession of a treadmill that’s been sitting in the basement for years (unused). Ironically, purchasing a new treadmill would often be less expensive than the legal fees incurred

Time To Review Your Estate Plan

Here we go again… Another year has passed and with it came life events that may have affected your estate plan, if you in fact have one. The overwhelming truth is that far too many people don’t plan ahead and if they at one time did have the wherewithal to do so, they forget to

Are You A Tenant Moving Out? What You Need To Know About Security Deposits

Lately, I have been getting requests regarding terminating a tenancy. What is a tenant to do when facing the end of their lease or if there’s a desire either by the landlord or tenant to terminate the lease early? More importantly, and the most frequently asked question on this matter:  what’s going to happen to

Why You Should Regularly Check Your Credit Report

We use credit for almost everything these day – when renting an apartment, financing a large-scale purchase like a car, or simply buying groceries at the supermarket. But you may not be aware of the fact that all of your credit transactions are recorded and compiled – and that landlords and employers frequently check an