I am a Certified Family Law Specialist and represent clients in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and select matters in the Central Coast and Sacramento area. I work with clients of all background, including business owners, homemakers, those with 7/8 figure wealth, attorneys, doctors, therapists, teachers, and military servicemembers and veterans. I also work with forensic accountants, therapists, mediators, loan officers, real estate agents, and attorneys in other fields to holistically resolve your family law issues.  I have a lot of experience in high conflict custody matters, including domestic and international move away, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental health issues. While I litigate, I settle many of my cases because I maintain good relationships with my fellow family law attorneys, the Court, and other professionals, and work hard to know the facts of your matter so I can quickly work to resolve the matter with your partner/spouse. I strongly believe in the principal of informed consent.  You will know where you stand and what decisions you can make so you can make the best choice for yourself and your family.  

I love the practice of family law. I know it's an unwanted service, but one that is necessary. People often come to me when they have been victims of abuse, made personal mistakes that have caused an end of a marriage or relationship, or simply have grown apart. It's hard for many people to let go of the past and the end of the relationship and move forward. That is why I work with a variety of family law related experts (financial planners, forensic accountants, life coaches, real estate professionals and therapists) to help you divide assets, heal, and take control of your future and the legacy you want to leave your loved ones. 

Latest Post 5/16/25:

One question that I am often asked of client's is whether or not it is a good idea to stay in the family residence once a divorce case has been filed. The most common reasons for desiring to stay in the family residence are 1) I do not want to lose out on seeing my children every day, or 2) concern about finances during a divorce.

Both of those concerns are reasonable reasons to want to stay in the family residence during a divorce. However, there are a number of issues that you should keep in mind when making a decision about staying or leaving. The first issue to consider is the date of separation. In California, the date of separation is very important as it defines the length of marriage and changes the characterization of income (income from W2 employment and lottery winnings), and that debts incurred thereafter are separate property. How do you establish a date of separation? Only one of spouses needs to, and they must communicate their intent to end the marriage, either through actions or words, and then objectively their actions/behavior must reflect that intent to end the marriage (Ex. Hire an attorney, file for divorce, take off wedding ring, no dating, no intimacy, no marriage counseling, no having the other spouse do the laundry, no shared cooked meals, sleeping in separate bedrooms, no taking the other spouse to work events, etc.).

In 2016, there was Supreme Court case that actually held that you must live separate and apart for the date of separation to be established. That was a very unpopular decision, and the California State Legislature quickly amended the date of separation statute abrogating that holding, so that divorcing spouses could remain living together.

Living together and maintaining a date of separation is feasible, but it can also blur the lines at times. When you have older children, they can become confused about what their parents are actually doing, and whether they are actually separated. It's also easy to justify going on a trip together with a soon to be graduating high school student to figure out college, having a nightcap, and then waking up next to your divorcing spouse. Did the date of separation change? It may have!

Sometimes divorces take years to resolve, businesses increase in value, and the other spouse sees an opportunity to claw back more money to the community. If you live together, it may make it easier for the other spouse to claim you are still together until a later date, and if they prevail, it could cost you a lot of money.

Also, if there is hostility that leads to domestic violence, a restraining order could be filed and then you are then kicked out of the family residence and having to defend allegations of domestic violence that could impact your future timeshare with the minor children.

Happy to have a conversation about your family issues and can be contacted at my office by phone, in person meetings at the office, or a Zoom/WhatsApp conference.  You can also check out my webpage on Alignable.