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FAMILY LAW

What is a Certified Family Law Specialist?

The State Bar of California’s Board of Legal Specialization grants a special certification status to qualified lawyers in the practice of family law.  These lawyers—Certified Family Law Specialists—have a minimum of five years experience in practicing law, and have proven expertise in all areas of California family law, including divorce, annulment, child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, domestic violence, tax consequences of divorce, and more.

Divorce, Child Support, Child Custody

TRUST, WILLS & PROBATE

Everyone has heard the terms "will" and "trust," but not everyone knows the differences between the two. Both are useful estate planning devices that serve different purposes, and both can work together to create a complete estate plan.

One main difference between a will and a trust is that a will goes into effect only after you die, while a trust takes effect as soon as you create it. A will is a document that directs who will receive your property at your death and it appoints a legal representative to carry out your wishes. By contrast, a trust can be used to begin distributing property before death, at death or afterwards. A trust is a legal arrangement through which one person (or an institution, such as a bank or law firm), called a "trustee," holds legal title to property for another person, called a "beneficiary." A trust usually has two types of beneficiaries -- one set that receives income from the trust during their lives and another set that receives whatever is left over after the first set of beneficiaries dies.

PRACTICE AREAS

MEDIATION

Mediation is a dynamically structured interactive process where a neutral third party assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques in a constructive and peaceful manner. Parties involved in the mediation process are encouraged to actively participate. The Mediation process focuses primarily on the needs, rights and interests of the parties. A mediator helps the parties find their optimal resolution, facilitates open communication, analyzes issues, while refraining from providing prescriptive advice to the parties (e.g., “You should do…”).

Peaceful Resolution

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