5 Reasons to Stay Out of Court

As a retired Superior Court Family Law Commissioner, I firmly believe that if you can find a way to stay out of court, do so for the following reasons: Time Constraints – The Family Court system is underfunded and understaffed.  Even a relatively simple case can...

Why I Won’t Settle Disputes in Court

In the midst of parental separation feelings run high. If there are complicating factors such as violence, abuse and infidelity, those feelings typically run even higher. To add, if the decision to separate is more one-sided than mutual, the person being left can feel...

Making Sense of Those Divorce Legal Forms, Part 1

Filing a petition for dissolution of marriage (divorce) simply opens a file at the courthouse and gives you a file number to use in the future. Nothing else will ever happen if no one files anything further. In fact in many counties, the court is obligated to close the case if no one files anything else within a 3-5-year period.

Making Sense of Those Divorce Legal Forms, Part 2

My earlier blog (“Making Sense of Those Legal Forms” posted February 1, 2021) discussed the forms that are needed to begin the process for divorce. This article is written to explain the forms that must be submitted to the court in order to complete the process of obtaining your divorce.

Children of Divorce: The Innocent Ones in Custody Battles

A vaccine and effective treatment options were eventually discovered for COVID-19. There is also a “vaccine” and effective treatment remedies available for the “virus” related to divorce conflict and its heavy burden on the children in the family: Collaborative Divorce.