La Jolla, California

La Jolla is a wealthy community that occupies seven miles of curving coastlines in San Diego. La Jolla has been able to retain its own small-town community atmosphere, despite being within the city limits of San Diego. Located about 12 miles north of downtown San Diego, La Jolla is composed of ocean bluffs, beaches, steep canyons and hillsides. La Jolla is known as a tourist hot spot with its elite shopping, dining, boutiques, and gourmet restaurants. It is also home to University of San Diego, California, and Torrey Pines Golf Course, among other Institutes and golf courses.

Courthouses available to La Jolla residents include the Family Court located on 1555 Sixth Ave and the Madge Bradley building located on 1409 Fourth Ave. Probate cases are heard at the Madge Bradley building. There are also two family law courtrooms which hear divorce cases and domestic violence restraining orders.

La Jolla has many affluent areas. A La Jolla family law attorney needs to be familiar with high asset cases and the attorneys at Doppelt and Forney, APLC are familiar with cases with assets well over one million dollars and have handled cases in which tens of millions of dollars of assets were involved. Experience in these types of cases is very important. As, along with high assets, many La Jolla residents have high income. This can lead to issues of spousal support. There are two main issues with spousal support: amount and duration. For pre judgment spousal support orders, the San Diego Family Law Judges often calculate using the disso master program. A La Jolla family law lawyer can perform these calculations for you so that you have realistic expectations. This can be very complicated. For example, if a spouse is over the age of 65, then they do not have an earning ability under San Diego family law for employment. Even if not employed, other income can be used for support. If retired, but under the age of 65, then an earning ability can be imputed and this is often done by a vocational evaluation. The other main issue is duration. If the marriage is less than ten years in length, then the duration of spousal support [normally] is one half the duration of the marriage. There is an exception if the duration is more than ten years and then the Court reserves jurisdiction which means no termination date is set at the date of judgment. This does not mean a “lifetime” order and spousal support, except by express agreement, is always modifiable.

The La Jolla family law attorneys at Doppelt and Forney, APLC are experienced and educated in cases involving divorce, alimony, annulment, spousal support, and legal separation. We are also well trained in paternity issues, child support, child visitation, and child custody matters. It is important that you know your rights and have all the information you need in order to achieve your legal goals. We are located on Bernardo Center Drive just off the I-15 in the Clock Tower Office Complex. You can contact us online or reach us at 858-312-8500. We are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and are closed on all legal holidays. As members of the San Diego County Better Business Bureau, we look forward to meeting you and providing a complimentary virtual consultation where we can discuss your legal matter in person.