The holidays can be stressful for anyone but if you are a parent going through the divorce process or have recently divorced, this is a particularly challenging time of the year. Here are some tips to help divorcing parents of young children survive and thrive this festive season: Plan ...... Read more

In order to change your name after getting a divorce in California, you will need to take the following steps: 1. Complete an, “Ex-parte Application for Restoration of Former Name After Entry of Judgment and Order.” FL-395. Indicate the case number, the date that the judgment of...... Read more

In the School of Life, a relationship breakup can be one of our greatest teachers. You may find that the decision to end your relationship is more difficult than the decision to start one. Why? When you begin a relationship, you likely are filled with positive feelings about your future...... Read more

Two common questions people ask when thinking about getting a divorce are… if we choose divorce mediation, how long will it take and how much will it cost? How Long Will It Take? The length of mediation is largely dependent on the complexity of the issues involved and the degree to which both...... Read more

Forgiving your former spouse or yourself may seem impossible, but it’s not. Forgiveness is actually something you do for yourself and your children. Divorce and mediation can be difficult processes to endure. The ability to forgive will lighten the emotional burden you are carrying and make it...... Read more

When a couple divorces, the court looks at the best way to divide both party’s debts as well as their assets. Just as there are community and individual assets, there can be community and individual (separate) debts. For example, if one spouse decides on a student loan to pay for school during...... Read more

A well-written child custody agreement within your divorce agreement will help you co-parent children more successfully after divorce. It is the most important document you will craft as parents and deserves your best effort. It can be 1 page long or 20 pages long, but it must detail how you plan...... Read more

Local residents may have seen this recent Bee article about how budget cuts are affecting service at family law courts. Bottom line: with court staff downsizing, the general public can expect to wait in even longer lines and experience greater delays when filing documents with the court. There...... Read more

While Divorce Mediation is recommended for most separating couples, there are instances in which mediation would not be the best choice. If there have been serious incidents of physical or verbal abuse in the relationship, there is a likeliness that the abused party would feel intimidated by the...... Read more

Continuing with the theme of our previous post, Designing a Workable Parent Plan, today’s post talks about the impact of divorce upon children at different stages in their development and how that can affect your parent plan. What you need to cover in a plan for a young child is different from...... Read more

Divorce meditation can be a relatively quick and budget friendly option for separating couples, but what about when there are children involved? Divorce cases are always more complex when there are children to consider. Mediation brings both parents together in an informal setting and works to...... Read more

Here is a presentation on some of the available options for a married couple that think it's time to get a divorce.   Divorce options... Read more

In a divorce mediation session, a mediator facilitates discussion between the parties by helping them communicate and by providing information and suggestions to help resolve differences.  At the end of the mediation process, the separating parties have typically developed a tailored divorce...... Read more

The mediator works with both parties to help them understand the law, reach agreeable solutions and develop a complete marital settlement agreement.  Mediation emphasizes the identifying of issues and settling of disputes, rather than finding fault or blame.  The goal of the process is for the...... Read more

A mediator is neutral third party.  During mediation, it is important that each party feels comfortable expressing themselves and understood by the mediator.  For a successful outcome in mediation, the parties must participate in good faith, integrity, and with a willingness to work together. An...... Read more