Los Angeles Family Law Blog | Claery & Hammond, LLP

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 18-Jun-2018

Your Last Summer Before Divorce

California summers have a way of stirring up all kinds of thoughts and memories – hot summer days by the ocean, ice cream trucks playing music, sprinklers, pool parties, summer camping trips, vacations to the in-laws, kids sleeping in, ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 11-Jun-2018

Divorcing Because You're Not On the Same Page

It’s true, a lot of divorces are the result of infidelity on one or both of the spouses’ parts and because of financial problems, but there are plenty of other reasons why marriages fail. In the United States, approximately 50 percent of ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 4-Jun-2018

Can a Bad Marriage Be Worse for Children Than Divorce?

For people in their 50s and 60s, they grew up in an era where divorce was viewed quite differently than it is today. When Baby Boomers were children, divorce parents were looked down upon; they were shunned and gossiped about. People would quietly ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 28-May-2018

Parenting Tips While Going Through a Divorce

Loving parents do not mean to hurt their children, nor do they intend to damage them, but unfortunately parents in the trenches of a divorce can be unaware of what they say and do, and how their actions impact their children. Amid the intense ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 21-May-2018

Don't Make These Mistakes in Divorce Court

Heard your share of divorce horror stories? Now that it’s your turn, you don’t want to end up with war stories of your own. You don’t want your divorce to drag out, especially not at the cost of the marital estate! If you want to ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 14-May-2018

Basics of Child Custody in California

Are you a parent who is headed toward divorce ? Or, are you an unmarried parent who needs to go to court to sort out a child custody issue? Either way, you’ll be interested in learning how California’s child custody laws apply to your ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 7-May-2018

3 Rules for Dating After Divorce

Marriage – the theory is that we’re in it for life, but roughly half of all first marriages end in divorce in the United States. Second and subsequent marriages have an even higher rate of divorce, which makes us ponder, “Why does ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 30-Apr-2018

Property and Debt in a California Divorce

The majority of married couples have acquired property and debt over the course of their marriage and dividing these can be so complicated that the cost of making a mistake can be very high, especially when a couple as a significant amount of ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 23-Apr-2018

9 Divorce Mistakes to Avoid Starting Now!

“Divorce is the psychological equivalent of a triple coronary bypass,” said author Mary Kay Blakely. A lot of spouses who’ve been through it would agree, not only because a failed marriage is stressful, but it’s also a ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 16-Apr-2018

FAQs About Child Support in California

If you are new to California’s child support laws, there’s probably a lot that you don’t know and this lack of knowledge gets well-meaning parents, namely non-custodial parents (the ones who pay child support), into trouble. In ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 9-Apr-2018

What Parents Must Know About Moving Out & Away

Divorce is known for being complicated and stressful, even when couples manage to have an amicable divorce. It’s understandable considering the number of financial matters that must be addressed, the change in residential status, and the issues ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 2-Apr-2018

Are You Ready for Divorce?

If you’re asking yourself, “Am I ready to get a divorce ?” you may be under stress right now. Perhaps you just had a big blowout with your spouse. Perhaps doors were slammed, voices were raised, and someone slept on the couch. Or, ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 26-Mar-2018

Why Child Custody Has Changed in California

Growing up, you can probably remember that most children of divorced parents seemed to live primarily with their mothers. Such children would live with their mothers the majority of the time, while they’d see their fathers once a week for ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 19-Mar-2018

Divorce Checklist: What to Discuss with a Lawyer

Unfortunately, divorce is a complicated process. Even when it’s for the best, it can still take quite a bit of emotional energy and effort to complete. For some, the fear of the process and the financial disentanglement is what holds them back ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 12-Mar-2018

5 Things to Do After the Divorce is Final

You’ve been waiting for this moment for months. The second you get word that your divorce is finalized. You’ve been mentally preparing for this and now the moment is finally here – and you react differently than you expected. To ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 5-Mar-2018

Are You Crazy or Emotionally Abused?

In the fields of psychology and family law, emotional abuse has become a hot topic. “There are 3 million cases of domestic violence reported each year. Many more go unreported. Emotional abuse often precedes violence, but is rarely ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 26-Feb-2018

Achieving a Mindful Divorce Despite It All

Enduring a high-conflict marriage day-in-and-day-out can be compared to living with a chronic medical condition. It may be calm for a few months, followed by weeks and weeks of absolute agony. When the flare-ups come – and they always do ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 19-Feb-2018

What Are the Benefits of Divorce?

If marriage didn’t involve so much financial entanglement, we’d probably have a lot more divorces. But – divorce is a complicated process. There are court fees, legal fees, child support, and spousal support to consider. Many would ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 12-Feb-2018

California's Child Support Laws

When a couple has children together and they separate or divorce, both parents continue to be responsible for financially supporting their children. Even if the children live most, if not all of the time with one parent, the other parent is still ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 5-Feb-2018

Can Dads Win Child Custody?

Historically, mothers have received custody of the children in a divorce far more than their husbands. If you’re a child of divorce, or if you’re from Generation X, think back to your personal experiences with divorce throughout your ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 29-Jan-2018

Collecting a Family Law Money Judgement

Were you successful in obtaining a family law judgement against your former spouse or domestic partner? If he or she has failed to pay you what they owe, you’re probably wondering if the court can help you collect the money. After all, the ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 22-Jan-2018

Should I File Bankruptcy Before Divorce?

It’s no secret that a lot of marriages break down because of financial problems. We’ve all heard the sad stories – a spouse has a spending problem and blows all of the couple’s money. A spouse has a gambling problem and they ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 15-Jan-2018

When Your Spouse Says 'No' to Divorce

Surely, you’ve heard people say, “My husband will never give me a divorce,” or “My wife refuses to divorce me.” Perhaps you’ve heard people say such things, or perhaps you’ve seen it on television or in the ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 8-Jan-2018

Tips on Writing a Parenting Plan

When a couple with children divorces in California, they must draft what is called a Parenting Plan, otherwise known as a “ custody and visitation agreement.” The Parenting Plan is a detailed written agreement that outlines how the ...

Posted By Claery & Hammond, LLP 1-Jan-2018

12 Tips for Winning Child Custody

For many parents, child custody is one of the most difficult aspects of the divorce process. As a general rule, the California Courts encourage both parents to play active roles in the child-rearing process, assuming both parents are kind, loving and ...