A complete view of California family law.
Family law touches the most personal corners of a life — marriage, parenthood, money, home. California's Family Code is among the most detailed in the country, and the difference between a workable outcome and a painful one is often a matter of preparation and knowing where the leverage lives. This page is a tour of the matters our office handles.
What family law actually covers
Family law in California reaches well beyond divorce. It governs marriage and domestic partnerships, parentage, child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, property division, restraining orders, adoption, guardianship, and the modification or enforcement of any of the above.
When two issues collide — say, a contested custody dispute layered onto a high-asset divorce — the strategy that works for one can quietly undermine the other. We approach each matter as a single coordinated representation.
Filing and the procedural backbone
Every family-law case rides on a procedural backbone — the petition, response, financial disclosures, requests for order, and case-management deadlines that the Family Code and the local Los Angeles rules impose. Missing one of these milestones can cost a client more than a substantive misstep.
We treat the procedural calendar as part of the strategy, not an afterthought.
Divorce and legal separation
Most clients reach our office during a divorce, but the legal architecture also supports legal separation, annulment, and the dissolution of registered domestic partnerships. The right vehicle depends on residency, the desired finality, and tax and health-insurance considerations that are easy to overlook.
Custody, visitation, and parentage
Children's matters in California always come back to the best-interest standard. We build parenting plans, litigate contested custody, and handle parentage cases for unmarried parents and assisted-reproduction families.
"A custody order is a piece of architecture. It will be lived in for years — design it with that in mind."
Child and spousal support
California's guideline formula governs child support; spousal support is calculated under different standards for temporary and post-judgment orders. In both, the income figure used in court is often the most fought-over input.
We model support outcomes early and accurately so negotiation rests on real numbers.
Property and asset division
California's community-property regime is conceptually simple — what was acquired during marriage is shared equally — and operationally complex. Tracing separate-property contributions to a community asset, valuing a closely held business, allocating retirement plans through a QDRO, and handling stock options each require different expertise.
- Real estate and equity buyouts
- Business valuation and goodwill
- Retirement plans and QDROs
- Stock options and RSUs
- Tracing and reimbursement claims
- Debt allocation
Mediation and collaborative practice
Most California family-law matters resolve outside of court. Mediation and collaborative practice offer structured pathways to that resolution, with the privacy and pace that families often prefer.
We participate in both as advocates and, where appropriate, refer clients to qualified neutrals.
Restraining orders and emergency relief
When safety, urgency, or significant prejudice is at stake, California courts can issue ex parte and emergency orders — restraining orders, custody orders, residence-exclusion orders, and asset-freeze orders, among others.
Our office is built to act on these matters the same day they arise.
Trial work, when it is necessary
Most cases settle. Some do not. When trial is necessary, the same attorney who advised you through settlement appears in court for you. We do not refer trial work out, and we do not learn the file the night before.
Modifications and enforcement
A judgment is the beginning of a long second chapter. Modifications follow real-life changes; enforcement follows non-compliance. We handle both with the same preparation that produced the original order.
Working with our office
Whatever the matter, you will work directly with an attorney from your first call. Our caseload is intentionally small. Initial consultations are confidential, unhurried, and free of charge.