Parents who have a child with special needs or a mental illness know that the costs for providing effective therapy to support their mental well-being can be staggering. Even when health insurance coverage is available for appropriate services, co-pays and deductibles...
Michelle Hoover
How a Child’s Mental Health Affects Custody Decisions: Ensuring the Best Care
When parents divorce, determining who gets custody of the child is a central area of focus, and is often a key point of disagreement. California values children maintaining strong relationships with both their parents after divorce, which is partially why joint...
How Courts Handle High-Conflict Custody Disputes When a Child Has Severe Mental Health Issues
In a high-conflict divorce, where every decision that must be made to legally separate a married couple’s future becomes a vicious battleground dragged out through endless court hearings, the stress and uncertainty weigh on everybody involved. The damaging effects can...
The Impact of LaMusga Factors on Long-Distance Parenting Plans in California
When a couple with children divorces, the diverging courses of their post-divorce lives may lead one to move away. The challenges of co-parenting children over long distances, whether within the U.S. or internationally, mean that typical shared custody arrangements...
How LaMusga Factors Affect Joint Custody Arrangements in California
When parents divorce, one of the most wrenching potential consequences of ending their marital relationship is how their time and relationships with their children may change. While some change is inevitable, in California, public policy is to try to create conditions...
How a Child’s Preference Influences LaMusga Factor Decisions in California Courts
When parents divorce, child custody decisions can become a source of bitter conflict. While each parent might recognize the importance of working together to look after their children’s welfare and well-being, they may have strong disagreements about where the...
Spousal Support and Retirement: What Happens When the Payor Retires in California?
When a long-term marriage ends in California, the lower-earning spouse may be awarded permanent or long-term spousal support that does not have a set end date when the payor’s obligation expires. In determining what is appropriate, the court must consider a range of...
How Remarriage or Cohabitation Affects Spousal Support in California
When a couple divorces in California, the higher-earning spouse may be obligated to pay spousal support to their lower-earning ex to maintain the marital standard of living. Perhaps alimony has been ordered for a limited amount of time as in a short-term marriage, or...
Understanding Gavron Warnings in California Spousal Support Cases
When a couple divorces, the higher-earning spouse may fear that despite the end of the marriage, they will have a financial obligation to support their ex forever. However, in California, the presumption is that spousal support (also known as alimony) is not...
How Domestic Violence Could Affect Your Divorce in California
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, renewed attention is focused on this issue experienced all too often in relationships. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 41% of women and 25% of men experience physical abuse, sexual violence, or stalking by an...