by Mel Mackler, MA, LMFT Coaching and Education for an Emotionally Healthy Divorce In the face of adversity, we all can use support and, sometimes, advice from friends and family that we trust and are close to us. These two camps are always ready to come to our aid and defense when we are in stress or in anxiety. This can be especially true when someone is going through a family break-up due to a divorce. Divorce anxiety can fuel a sense of being in danger. We are apt to scurry to an attorney for safety and protection before we…
Read More →by Sandra Joan Morris CA State Bar Certified Family Law Specialist Past President, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers How expensive is the collaborative law process compared to other methods of resolving cases? As a family law trial attorney, I heard for years that the collaborative process is much more expensive because if it ends, the team members are off the case. However, my experience is that the collaborative process is usually quicker and less expensive in most cases, and much less expensive in complex cases, than other methods. Even if fighting it out at the courthouse was a good way…
Read More →One of the strongest benefits of Collaborative Divorce is the focus on putting the family and especially your children first throughout the process, for their longtime well-being. Author Jackie Pilossoph shares a first person story about the lessons she has learned about putting her own current feelings of disappointment and anger aside, successfully creating a “happily ever after” for her children. It’s a charming story with a lot of practical advice that acknowledges that it might not be easy to do – but the rewards are worth it. Read Jackie’s story here. Do you have a similar story to share?
Read More →Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) today as unconstitutional, and declining to rule on Prop 8, therefore allowing legal same sex marriage in California, there are numerous ramifications. Some of them have to do not with marriage, but with divorce. For example, what are the financial ramifications for same sex couples during a divorce? CLFG San Diego member Justin Reckers of Pacific Divorce Management looks at a few of the issues including taxes, benefits, and spousal support in this article.
Read More →by Justin A. Reckers, CFP®, CDFATM, Director of Financial Planning Pacific Wealth Management and Pacific Divorce Management Most people who divorce do not have the financial concerns of Rupert Murdoch. The wealthy media mogul recently announced the impending divorce from his third wife, Wendi Deng, after 14 years of marriage. Murdoch, CEO and chairman of News Corp., ranks number 91 on Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s billionaires, with a net worth of $11.2 billion. Speculation is rampant about the possible settlement with Wendi Deng. Various media reports claimed Murdoch’s payout in his second divorce from wife Anna in 1999…
Read More →June is the long time traditional month for weddings – even second weddings. The members of CFLG San Diego wish all brides and grooms the very best in their lives together. We have just a little advice starting with your wedding playlist, thanks to this fun article. We especially agree with this tip: avoid playing any songs you played at your first wedding! Read Twenty Two Songs You Should Never Play At A Second Wedding
Read More →Children often want to be heard when their parents separate and divorce. How can children have a voice without exposing them to courtroom battles? by Nancy Stassinopoulos, Attorney and Certified Family Law Specialist, Stassinopoulos & Schweitzer, LLP, San Diego, CA The traditional Family Court system, which is based on litigation with attorneys for each parent, tries to help families with children to resolve child-sharing disputes, but with mixed results. Although mediation at Family Court Services (now called “child custody recommending counseling”) is required before a judge makes decisions on child custody and visitation, by the time parents walk into the…
Read More →CFLG San Diego member Myra Chack Fleischer found a common thread between two recent violent acts, one of which caused the deaths of five innocent people. In both the recent shootings at Santa Monica College, and ricin filled letters sent to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, unaddressed rage about divorce was at the heart of both incidents. Collaborative divorce methods seek to address these strong emotions, acknowledge and deal with them so they don’t find destructive avenues of expression, like in these two circumstances. Read Myra’s column for Communities Digital News with more details.
Read More →The State of Washington passed new legislation which encourages couples to consider collaborative divorce, keeping families out of courtrooms. The bill signed by Jay Inslee is called the Uniform Collaborative Law Act. It allows couples to agree on terms of their divorce without going to court. The members of CFLG San Diego congratulate Governor Inslee and the legislature for making this option available to divorcing couples in Washington. We wholeheartedly support this alternative to adversarial divorce processes that take up time and resources of the state’s courts and hurt families in the long run. Read more here: http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/new-divorce-law-signed-advocates-say-it-ultimately/nXgfj/
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