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In Divorce

Modifying Your Estate Plan During a Divorce

Divorce can be a complicated and frustrating process. Modifying your estate plan while going through a divorce can complicate things even further, especially if your estate plan is not up to date. It is important to ensure your estate plan is up to date when you are divorcing, because your spouse could inherit under your will or life insurance policy, should you pass away while your divorce is pending and fail to remove your ex-spouse as a beneficiary.

There are certain rules in California that make it tricky to modify your estate plan while going through a divorce. First and foremost, when you start your divorce by filing the dissolution petition and serving your spouse with a summons, an Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders, or “ATROS,” goes into effect. The ATROS automatically impose four rules – by way of California Family Code Section 2040 – that limit a spouse’s ability to change his or her estate plan. Continue Reading

In Family Law Blog

The Importance of Taking Time to Remember

As the country just celebrated Memorial Day Weekend—a time set aside to remember the men and women who have died to protect our nation—we thought it important to look at how traditions and memory-making can positively impact families as well.

Family memories go beyond just recalling good times together, vacations, birthdays, and the like. Lasting family memories can act as an anchor for all family members. Even when families are separated by distance, divorce, death, or other undesirable circumstances, strong memories can keep healthy connections alive and foster greater stability and a sense belonging.

These memories can also be a great way to establish and encourage particular family values that can be passed on to future generations.

So how do you go about being intentional about making family memories? Here are a few ways you can nurture memorable experiences and keep them alive for years to come: Continue Reading

In Family Law Blog

Choosing the Best Summer Camps for Your Kids!

Summer is an exciting time for the whole family in many regards. The kids are out of school, you can spend more time together, the weather is wonderful (depending on where you live, of course), and the possibilities for fun seem endless.

At the same time, summer can pose a challenge for parents seeking ways to satisfy their children’s endless energy and curiosity. That’s why many of them look to summer camps—a seemingly perfect solution for weeks or months of entertainment, ongoing education, and a chance for kids to form new friendships and discover new dreams.

But not all summer camps are created equal! Aside from finding a camp that appeals to your child’s unique interests (astronomy, soccer, business, etc.), it’s important to take the time to determine which one will provide the best investment for the immediate summer experience and their future. Continue Reading

In Domestic Violence Restraining Orders

Getting a Restraining Order in a California Divorce

Types of Restraining Orders

A restraining order can protect you from abuse or harassment during a separation or divorce. There are two common types of orders used in divorce: a domestic violence restraining order and a civil harassment restraining order. Each is used to target a different set of people.

1. A domestic violence restraining order is used to obtain protection from:

  • A spouse, former spouse, domestic partner, person you have dated or lived with intimately, or person who is the other parent of your child, or
  • Someone who is closely related to you, such as a parent, child, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, or in-law.

Restraining orders in California are granted to protect you from abuse, which means causing, attempting to cause, or threatening bodily harm or sexual assault, or molesting, stalking, or striking you. Continue Reading

In Family Law Blog

Get the Whole Family Involved with Spring Cleaning!

Spring cleaning. Mention it to your spouse or kids, and you may just get groans in response. While enjoying the warmer weather, sunnier days, and growing gardens, few people look forward to buckling down and sprucing up the house.

It’s all just tiresome chores, right?

Actually, spring cleaning is more than just freshening up a home from winter. It helps detoxify the family environment, reduces clutter, and provides a brighter, cleaner atmosphere to enjoy the spring and summer months.

So how do you get the whole family behind the spring cleaning effort? After all, you’ll get more done faster with more hands involved. Continue Reading

In Family Law Blog

5 Ways to Better Balance Work, Family, and Personal Needs

Balance.

It’s a word that gets used a lot these days, especially where family and work are concerned. That precious “Work/Life” balance seems increasingly elusive in a culture where bills must be paid, dinner must be made, soccer games must be attended, social events must be run, and both parents (or single parents) must work 9-5 or more in order to make ends meet.

Often enough, in the midst of life’s increasing chaos, things like personal health and alone time go by the wayside in order to handle all the external pressure. While that sort of self-sacrificing approach can be noble on the surface, it can actually be damaging to a family as a whole in the long run. Parents can suffer physical, mental, and emotional breakdowns if they devote all their resources to others without finding some way to balance their own needs in the mix.

So how does it happen? What can you do to carve out some healthy margin for yourself and your family and resist being pulled in all directions at once?
Continue Reading