Southern California Family Law Attorney Blog

When a child custody case is brought before a judge in California, the judge will use all the information he has gathered to make the final decision for where the best place is for the children to be raised. In a divorce, both parents are forced to abide by the ruling of the judge in terms of custody and visitation for either parent. There are unique situations where a custody case involves one parent and another guardian who is not a biological parent of the children.

The sister of a convicted killer is forced to make the choice between handing his children back over to their biological father or fighting a judge’s recent decision to return custody to the man, who was recently released from prison. Although the children don’t know their father well, the judge may have felt the bond between biological parent and child was most important in this case.

Continue reading Judge rules in favor of convicted killer in custody case

When a married couple in California chooses to divorce, custody of their child may be divided up in several different ways. Although many people may assume that the mother will be the best caretaker for the child, it may be important to look more closely at the situation to determine who should have physical and legal custody of the child. The situation must be assessed completely before a judge or mediator makes a decision regarding who is best able to care for the child.

After her ex-husband was granted custody of their daughter in their final divorce decree, a woman claims she plotted with her parents to kill him and his mother. Although the plan to kill the mother was uncovered by an undercover law enforcement official before being carried out, the woman’s ex-husband was killed in an altercation with her father.

Continue reading Woman and parents guilty in murder of custodial father

There are several states in the country that allow same-sex couples to be married legally, while many others are in the process of enacting laws that define how marriage and divorce should be interpreted under the law. One of the main concerns in California for these people who have been in a domestic partnership with someone of the same sex is the benefits they feel they should be given from the partner’s employer, and this concern is particularly important when the partner is employed by the state government.

In neighboring state Arizona, courts lifted an injunction they felt was discriminatory against same-sex couples. The state hopes to win an appeal that would allow them to terminate the benefits that are being offered to same-sex couples as a result of the court’s order.

Continue reading Court rules dependents of state employees must receive benefits

When two people who are married make the decision to end the marriage, they seek to obtain a divorce. The divorce process often involves hiring an attorney, splitting assets, settling child custody arrangements, and meeting all the requirements of the law in California. During this time, emotions may be running high, and it can be difficult to agree on important things when one person feels hurt or betrayed by the other spouse. The end of a marriage is rarely a simple thing, but even when it is, the process may take more time than the couple expected.

The fact that even amicable divorces were taking several months or years to complete was a motivating factor for a California judge who is looking to speed up the process for the sixty percent of couples who will seek divorce in California. Couples who benefit from this program may only be asked to pay for court costs, and may find their divorce final in as little as one day.

Continue reading Judge in California hopes to make divorce easier to obtain