Family Law Services

In San Diego, our firm practices in family law. This term encompasses contested divorce, uncontested divorce, legal separation, annulment, paternity, alimony, child support, child custody, child visitation, child support, temporary restraining orders, division of real estate, household furniture, jewelry, antiques, coin collections, vehicles, boats, trailers, savings accounts, checking accounts, credit union, deposit accounts, cash, tax refunds, life insurance with cash surrender [whole life policy], stocks, bonds, secured notes, mutual funds, retirement accounts, pension accounts, profit sharing, vested and non vested stock options, restricted stock units, annuities, IRA, 401 K, 403B, STRS, PERS, military retirement, accounts receivable, unsecured notes, partnerships, business interests and any other assets as well as division of student loans, taxes owed, support arrearage, unsecured loans, secured loans, credits cards and any other debts. We also prepare marriage settlement agreements and the judgment pleadings.

Our family law services include practicing in the following COUlt houses: downtown San Diego at both the family law main court house and Madge Bradley; Chula Vista; Vista and El Cajon. We also provide the service of assisting our clients with preparing for depositions, testimony in court and also for family court services mediation appointments. Having an attorney represent you takes the burden off of you alone and gives a legal support structure to assist you from start to finish. We provide the copies of the pleadings, fax to opposing counsel, email to client's and attorney, send pleadings with our attorney service to court and many others. In our firm, we do not charge our family law clients for costs which many other law firms do such as postage, parking, mileage, copying, fax and even [most occasions] filing pleadings at the court house with our attorney service.

Family law services also include guardianship, conservatorship, paternity cases, registered domestic partnership, same sex divorce and legal separation, arranging DNA testing, pre nuptial agreements, post judgment enforcement motions, post judgment modification motions, motions to set aside a judgment when appropriate and in accordance with the law, domestic violence motions and temporaty residence exclusion orders as well as many others.

Our family law services also include the ability to obtain information. This is critical in many cases and accurate information must be obtained to make an informed and intelligent decision whether to settle or continue to litigate. Our services include discovery such as written interrogatories, production of documents, requests for admissions, deposition and subpoena power for records. In addition, we have asset search capability "in office" as well as outside investigators we use when our resources are not sufficient. We also have forensic accountants we can refer our client's to as well as other experts for real property valuation, personal property valuation and valuation of pension plans and retirements as needed.

This also includes the counseling portion which is discussions oflegal strategies and legal techniques to protect rights and try and obtain goals with realistic expectations based on education, training and experience. It is crucial, at the onset of the case, for the client to come in with their list of their top five legal goals. In this way, the attorney can try and give a realistic expectation however no attorney can guarantee the outcome of any case. Many clients are interested in whether they will receive child or spousal support or pay child or spousal support and, if so, in what amount. We have the Disso Master which can provide this information which is invaluable in deciding what amount is in accordance with the law. The are many other areas of inquiry as well.

Our family law services extend beyond the judgment as, in our closing letters, we urge client's to immediately prepare a revocable living trust if they have minor children 01' assets over $100,000 to avoid probate and try and give privacy in the distribution of their estate after their death. We also discuss post judgment issues which may arise such as custody, visitation, spousal support, alimony and child support.