Navigating Finances During Separation and Divorce: Understanding Epstein Credits, Watts Charges, and Offsets for Joint Expenses and Bills
Divorce can be complex, especially when it comes to splitting finances. In California, two terms often come up in divorce proceedings: Epstein Credits and Watts Charges. With a clear understanding of these concepts, you can be far better prepared to navigate the division of a marital estate. Epstein Credits Explained...
Developing a Shared Parenting Plan
If you share children with another parent, you will eventually need to resolve custody issues and work on the terms of a marital settlement agreement or a parenting agreement. Even in the best of circumstances with amicable former partners, having a written and working parenting plan makes life easier for parents and...
COVID-19 and Child Relocation
The pandemic has resulted in a major migration for many people. In the last nine months alone, more than eight million people have uprooted and moved back in with family or to find cheaper living arrangements. Many Bay Area residents are moving with their children to Sacramento County and Placer County. Due...
Same-Sex Marriage Divorce and Child Custody Disputes
The landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges, decided in 2015 by the U.S. Supreme Court, granted long overdue rights to same-sex couples. These rights include the right to marry, and consequently, the right to divorce. For same-sex couples, getting divorced in California generally follows the same process as it does for opposite-sex...
Holiday Visitation Disputes in the COVID-19 Era
If you split shared physical custody of your children with your ex-spouse or former partner, do you have a working agreement regarding holidays like Hanukkah or Christmas? If you do have holiday provisions in your parenting plan or marital settlement agreement, have you also discussed how circumstances may change due to the...
Set for Family Law Trial? How to Avoid it.
What are the alternatives to conducting a Divorce or Custody Trial? For financial issues concerning property, support, or attorney fees, a trial is completely avoided by the development and negotiation of a thoughtful, knowing, and intelligent settlement following a complete disclosure of all relevant financial information required to fulfill your...
What is a Family Law Trial?
A trial is a full hearing concerning disputed issues involving witnesses and other admissible evidence. At the end of the trial, the judge will make a ruling. Hughes Law Group attorneys regularly handle divorce and custody trials in Sacramento, Placer and Yolo Counties. Family law trials should be rare. They...
Is what I tell a divorce lawyer confidential?
This is a common question we get at Hughes Law Group. Tell your divorce attorney your true concerns and be candid with your goals and your reasons. It is essential that you can reveal the facts of your case without the concern that this information will ever be disclosed. Lawyers...
What issues can be resolved in a California divorce?
The Family Court is a Court of limited jurisdiction. It does not involve all disputes between married persons. In general, the Family Court is limited to resolving issues of child custody, community property, child support, spousal support (alimony), attorney fees necessary for representation, and enforcement of orders and domestic violence...
Our Position on Initial Custody Requests
Clients hire attorneys that they believe will increase their likelihood of “winning” and who also reflect the client’s philosophical viewpoint. If you don’t agree with ours, ask yourself if you have genuinely realistic expectations. Although we are always our client’s zealous advocates, we continuously ask our clients to examine the...