I emphasize practice in the following areas of family law:

• Dissolution and Legal Separation
  Dissolution, formerly called divorce, is the process by which a marriage is terminated. The dissolution process can include any orders which are necessary, such as property division and support.
  
  Parties may opt for a legal separation instead of a dissolution of marriage. In a legal separation proceeding, all of the orders which can be made in a dissolution can be made except that the marital status is not terminated. This may be a preferable option for those with religious objections to a dissolution or with the need for continued medical insurance which would otherwise terminate upon the dissolution of the marriage.
  
  

• Property Rights Between Spouses
  Property owned by a husband and wife in California generally fall into one of three basic ownership categories: Community property, husband’s separate property and wife’s separate property. Community property is property owned by husband and wife together and is typically all property acquired by either spouse during marriage (except for gifts and inheritances to a specific spouse). Separate property is property that is owned by one or the other spouse by himself or herself and is typically all property acquired by a spouse prior to marriage, or acquired during marriage with premarital money and all property acquired after the couple permanently separates with the intention of remaining apart.
  
  Individuals contemplating marriage may contract with each other before and during marriage to restrict the application of California community property law, which provides that all property acquired during marriage, with a few exceptions, is jointly owned by the parties. Family law lawyers are frequently retained to prepare premarital and post marital agreements concerning property.
  
  

• Spousal Support Rights Between Spouses
  Alimony, or spousal support as it is now known, is not automatically ordered as it was in the past and when it is granted, it is often limited to a period of time. The standard applied by the courts in ordering or denying support is the standard of living of the parties attained during marriage and the respective abilities and needs of each party to maintain that standard following separation.
  
  Unlike child support, there is no federal law requiring states to have guidelines for determining whether support is ordered or in setting the amount. This is an area of family law in which the courts have a great deal of discretion.
  
  

• Child Support
  California employs mandatory guidelines in setting child support which, when ordered continues until the child reaches the age of eighteen, or in some case age nineteen.
  
  The analysis begins with a determination of the annual net disposable income of each parent from which all allowable deductions are taken. The amount is also set by determining the amount of time each parent has responsibility of for the children.
  
  In addition to monthly child support, parents should make arrangement for other financial matters which arise when raising children. Other expenses include the cost of private education or extraordinary medical care not covered by insurance. These matters are usually decided upon informally between parents. But the court may order payments if a child’s special needs for education or other services require them.
  
  

• Child Custody and Visitation
  Any custody arrangement involves two types of custody: Joint legal custody means that parents have the ability to confer with each other with regard to issues which concern the health and education of their children. Joint physical custody means that a child has frequent and continuing contact with both parents according to a schedule which best fits the child’s needs and those of the parents. Both forms of custody are determined by analyzing the best interests of the children.
  
  

• Domestic Emergencies
  There are times when one person needs immediate court protection against another person’s behavior that has arisen in the context of a current or former domestic relationship. The purpose of domestic violence laws are to prevent a recurrence of domestic violence and to assure a period of separation for the persons involved.
  
  To facilitate these goals, a court can grant a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) “ex parte” (with only one person telling his or her side of the story). The TRO can legally restrain the abuser from any contact, order the abuser to leave the home, order the abuser to keep away from certain places, determine temporary child custody and visitation rights both in marital and non-marital situations.