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Does Collaborative Divorce Work with Narcissists?

Divorce can be stressful and financially burdensome. This is why most divorcing couples welcome the idea of resolving things amicably and staying out of court. Collaborative divorce can help keep costs low and minimize conflict.  However, narcissists, or people with narcissistic characteristics, are not like most people. A collaborative divorce with a narcissistic spouse brings particular concerns that the...

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How Domestic Violence Impacts Child Custody

California Family Code section 3044 can significantly impact your child custody orders should the court find that one parent abused the other. Attorney Brian Pakpour explains how in this video posted to TikTok. @brithefamilyguy ##answer to beegeemarie Domestic violence and child custody. ##domesticviolence ##californialaw ##familylaw ##familycourt ##childcustody ♬ deja vu – Olivia Rodrigo

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Summary Dissolution: The Closest Thing to a California “Quicky” Divorce

Those seeking a “quicky” divorce in California will find themselves sorely disappointed. There is no such thing. The soonest parties can end their marriage in California is six months plus one day from the day one of them effectively serves the other spouse with initial divorce papers. For example, if you file your petition for dissolution on February 28...

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Mediation in Child Custody and Visitation Disputes

Each county differs on their procedures, but typically you will get from the family court an appointment to meet with a mediator at the family court. You will oftentimes be asked, or even required, to attend an orientation class before the mediation. The mediators in Yolo, Sacramento, Placer, and all other “recommending counties,” will listen to you and the...

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Why Can’t I Just Take the Kids and Leave? ‘Move Aways’ and California’s Child Custody Laws

California has one of the biggest alien populations in the country. Some of those aliens are from other countries. Many are from other states across the U.S. That is why so-called “move away” cases are very common in California family courts when parents dispute child custody. Whether before divorce, long after divorce, or whether it involves parents who were...

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What Do I Do When the Other Parent is Already Out of the Picture?

Single parents in Yolo, Sacramento and Placer County Family Courts face a difficult choice when raising a child, where the other parent is out of the picture. You may need child support. You may need to obtain federal government forms like a passport that may or may not require the signatures of both parents. In both cases, you may...

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Reimbursements for Contributions to Community Property Under California Family Law

When individuals are happily married, few of them act under the question of “What would happen to this property if we got divorced?” Thus they happily contribute their separate property funds (inheritance, earnings saved before marriage, etc.) to the acquisition of property during marriage, such as a home. When these same individuals get divorced – whether in Yolo County, Sacramento County,...

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What is a ‘Default Divorce,’ and How Do I Get One in California?

Whenever you sue someone in a California Civil Court, the party you sue must respond to your demands within a certain amount of time, or risk the court’s power to simply abide by those demands without that person. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Yolo County, Sacramento County, or Placer County. After a certain amount of time, the sued...

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Obtaining Emergency Relief in California Family Courts, Part One

The typical delay in getting your first hearing for a family law matter is between four and six weeks. For most matters, whether or not you get to court in one week or four weeks is not going to make too large a difference. For others, it could literally mean the difference between life or death. California family courts...

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Obtaining Emergency Relief in California Family Courts, Part Two: Order Shortening Time

In Part One, we discussed the process and grounds required for obtaining “Ex Parte” relief.Depending on the circumstances of your case, ex parte relief may be very difficult to obtain. What may seem like an emergency to you may not seem so to a grizzled family law judge who has heard stories seemingly more tragic or critical than yours. An...

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