Author name: Family Law Attorney

Calendar marking date of separation in California divorce with attorney highlighting key dates

Date of Separation Disputes: Why a Single Date Can Cost Six Figures

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A single date on a divorce timeline carries more financial weight than almost any other fact in California family law: the date of separation. Earnings, bonuses, stock vesting, retirement contributions, debts—everything before that date is community property and split equally; everything after is generally separate property of the earning spouse. When the date is undisputed, […]

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Family Code 2640 reimbursement claim documents tracing separate property down payment in California divorce

Reimbursement Claims Under Family Code §2640: Protecting Your Down Payment

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You used $200,000 of your separate-property savings as the down payment on the family home. The home was titled in both names. Years later, you are divorcing. Does that $200,000 come back to you off the top, or is it part of the community equity to be divided? California Family Code §2640 is the answer—and

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Frozen embryo storage cryotank at California fertility clinic during divorce-related embryo dispute

Frozen Embryos in Divorce: Who Decides What Happens Next?

Leave a Comment / Divorce, Divorce Lawyer, Divorce Mediation, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Mediation process, Peter Hermes / By

Few questions in family law are more emotionally and ethically charged than what happens to frozen embryos when a marriage ends. The couple began the IVF process united in a future they hoped to share. By the time of divorce, that future has dissolved—but the embryos exist, waiting in cryostorage, and someone must decide their

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Pet custody California divorce dog with both owners during family law mediation

Pet Custody in California Divorce: Family Code §2605 Explained

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Until 2019, California family courts treated pets the way they treated coffee tables: as community property to be divided based on who paid for them and who held title. Anyone who has ever shared their life with a dog or cat knew that approach was inadequate, and the legislature eventually agreed. Family Code §2605, effective

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California family law judge reviewing firearm relinquishment order during custody hearing

New Firearm Rules in California Custody Cases (Family Code §3044 Updates)

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On January 1, 2026, two significant amendments to California family law took effect: changes to Family Code §3044 (the rebuttable presumption against custody for domestic violence perpetrators) and Family Code §6389 (firearm relinquishment under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act). The amendments reflect a clear legislative direction: protect children and protected parties from the combination of

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