The right family law attorney can help you handle sensitive issues with consideration and discretion. But the wrong lawyer can actually make things worse for you and your family. First, you should only hire someone who focuses on practicing family law. Next, you should look for candidates who have the following attributes: Experience: Family law… Read More »
Divorce can be especially trying on couples who have children. While each spouse likely believes he or she deserves custody, the court considers the best interests of the child before awarding custody. Like most aspects of family law, issues regarding child custody can be complicated. As a result, you should retain a knowledgeable family law… Read More »
Courts may consider a multitude of factors when making child support determinations. And the court usually has final discretion to ultimately set an amount for child support payments. But for most cases, the starting point for the court’s decision process is California’s statutory uniform child support guidelines. These guidelines appear in Section 4055 of the… Read More »
Assembly Bill 1050 was signed by the governor on August 27, 2010 and became law on January 1, 2012. This new law changes the way a court must consider the preference of a sufficiently mature child during proceedings regarding the establishment or modification of a custody or visitation order. California family courts have formerly been… Read More »
The “Elkins Legislation” refers to a pair of bills, AB 1050 and AB 939 which became law on January 1, 2012. These laws change the role of evidence in divorce actions, increasing reliance on live oral testimony and moving away from written testimony. This could increase costs by requiring more court hearings during a divorce… Read More »
Valuation of assets is often a contentious issue during divorce proceedings. The parties may offer competing experts, each with an appraisal that is beneficial to the spouse offering it. This common problem becomes even more complex when a closely held business is involved. While valuing a person or real property can be complex in its… Read More »
A comprehensive estate plan may contain many elements, including trusts, insurance policies, deeds, and powers of attorney. But nearly every estate plan must include a will as its central component. A well-drafted will coordinates other elements of the estate plan, ensuring they work together properly. A will also clearly designates an executor to handle the… Read More »
There are two types of custody: physical and legal. Physical custody is the right of a parent or guardian to be in unsupervised physical possession of a child. Legal custody is the right of a parent to make decisions regarding the health, education, religion, upbringing, and other aspects of the child’s life. A divorce settlement,… Read More »
It is clear that divorce can be—and usually is—emotionally straining. But a divorce can have an impact beyond your immediate family and can be extremely disruptive to your professional life as well. There are few better examples than the recent high-profile divorce contest between Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife Jamie. Some… Read More »
California defines community property as any property that either spouse acquires during the course of the marriage, excluding gifts that an individual spouse receives and any property an individual spouse acquires through bequest in a will or intestate succession. Under California law, spouses must divide community property equally following a divorce, unless they agree to… Read More »
Wilson & Pettine, LLP is located in Santa Barbara, CA and serves clients in and around Santa Barbara, Summerland, Carpinteria, Lompoc, Ventura, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County.
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