How is Guardianship Determined if Something Happens to the Parents? Although every parent hopes to live long enough to see their children become successful adults, the sad reality is that this doesn’t always happen. If you and your child’s other parent are driving home on New Year’s Eve or after a Fourth of July celebration and killed in a collision involving a drunk driver, what will happen to the child if he or Read More

Growing your family through adoption is a selfless and highly rewarding experience. When you adopt your spouse’s children, it sends the message that you love them and value being a parent to them. These genuine feelings of love and commitment can set the stage for a wonderful holiday season as a blended family. While the holidays can be as stressful as they are memorable, there are ways that you can smooth over Read More

At The Law Offices of Kayleene H. Writer, we often have clients who come in with questions about the difference between legal separation and dissolution of marriage. If your marriage is on the rocks, it is extremely important to understand the differences between these two options so you can make the choice that’s right for you and your family. In California, dissolution of marriage is essentially synonymous with Read More

When you tell your friends and family you’re getting a divorce, you can expect everyone to have their own opinions and their own advice to offer up. Some of the advice might be great, but other advice… not so much! In today’s blog post, we’re taking a look at some of our least favorite divorce advice, and offering insight that we hope will help you see things in a more productive way. “You’re seriously considering Read More

Substance abuse. Incarceration. Death. Divorce. There are many reasons families can separate. When these types of scenarios occur, there’s often a question as to whether the mother or father of a child will have custody moving forward. But can grandparents get involved? Do grandparents have any rights in California? To put it simply, yes, grandparents do have certain legal rights in our state. They can seek Read More

Across the United States, people are feeling anxious and stressed about the repercussions of the pandemic and the uncertainty of the future. This is a difficult moment, especially for parents who wonder how this will impact their children, both from an emotional and educational standpoint. Among parents, it can be especially hard on those who are divorced and feel like they are tackling it all alone. How will you Read More

As people continue to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, data suggests that the rates of domestic violence are rising across the nation. Whether it’s due to the frustration of being stuck at home together or the lack of other outlets for anger and energy, this can spell danger for many people in abusive relationships. If you are in danger, the first thing you need to do is physically remove yourself from Read More

In a recent blog post, we discussed two ways California courts establish paternity. In today’s blog, we’re looking at paternity from another angle -- why you would want to legally establish your paternity. Unwed fathers are faced with a choice. They can take action or they can choose not to. Either way, they’re still their child’s father and some argue that that’s enough, and that they don’t need their name to Read More

No parent ever relishes the thought of having to fight for custody of their children, but the reality is that during a divorce, joint custody is never a guarantee, especially if the other spouse disputes such an arrangement. If you are getting divorced, here are a few things about the child custody laws that you should know. How does a judge decide which parent gets custody? All judges base their custody Read More

Today we are living in a world that just a few weeks to a month or two ago, most of us never would have imagined. As we face our new reality, we rush to put systems in place that will allow us a semblance of normalcy and keep us closer to our routines and order from before. For parents who rely on child support payments from their formal partners, there’s a big question looming: How will coronavirus impact child Read More