The deal you make is better than the one a Court makes for you.

Litigation is the traditional system in which the parties resort to court intervention to decide conflicts. Vigorous, planned-out representation is provided in this adversarial setting when required — see the Approach section for the full philosophy on litigation versus resolution.

Generally, California Community Property laws require an equal division of the community estate. When the division of community property is decided by the Court, the judge must apply the law to the facts of the case. Division of community property often involves complex issues of corporate law, tax law, estate planning, or bankruptcy law — it is crucial that the attorneys recognize these issues and obtain the best specialized assistance when needed. Complex property issues are handled in this practice, including valuation of business(es) and division of investment and property holdings. When Dispute Resolution (Mediation or Collaborative Law) is used, the distribution of assets and debts may be structured in the way most adapted to the family's needs.

California has a very regulated statutory scheme concerning child support. Parties will become familiar with the "XSpouse" program, commonly used by attorneys and judicial officers to determine guideline child support. Because the child support guideline formula includes a "time-sharing percentage" factor, this issue is often muddled with custody issues.

The determination of spousal support is a complex matter, often too simplistically viewed from the outside as "you get support for half the length of the marriage," "you get life time support because you have a long marriage," or "you have a right to be supported at the marital life-style." This area is heavily regulated by the Legislature, filled with contradictory case law precedent, and greatly subject to the discretion of the judicial officer. Whether advocating for the recipient of support or for the supporting spouse, the goal is realistic guidance.

Issues concerning the children of the marriage are the most emotionally charged issues in most cases. The philosophy is that, unless facing mental health illness or domestic violence, the attorney should assist in minimizing conflict and in creating two post-divorce wholesome households. In 35 years experience working exclusively in family law matters, families have been seen destroyed in the "battle" — but also remarkable adaptability on the part of children and parents. Experts agree that divorce itself is not the cause of the damage; rather, it is the child's exposure to the parents' conflict that creates the trauma.

In our highly mobile society, children are often caught between the rights of a parent to travel and the children's needs for continuing contact with both parents. Within the United States, uniform statutes apply to ensure consistency in how courts handle these issues. In multinational family disputes, the Court, litigants and attorneys are faced not only with cultural differences but also with complex conflicts of law and the applicability of international treaties such as the Hague Convention (for signatory countries) and federal laws aimed at deterring parents from removing children from the United States, or from other countries.

It is counter-intuitive and often difficult to foresee separation or divorce when one is in love and in the midst of engaging in a new life. Typically, the party requesting the agreement wants to protect his or her assets in the event of a separation or dissolution of the marriage — determining in advance how property will be divided and how spousal support will be defined. In a postnuptial agreement, a spouse wants to change marital rights and obligations while remaining in the marriage; these must be approached with care for the fiduciary obligation spouses owe to one another. All three types of agreements are generally favored by the Courts and their use has greatly increased in the last fifteen years or so. Whereas general contract law applies to cohabitation agreements, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are heavily regulated.

The California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act extends to registered partners virtually all the rights, benefits, protections and obligations which apply to spouses during and upon termination of the union.