Author name: Family Law Attorney

Parent working remotely from home office while caring for child during California 50/50 custody arrangement

Remote Work and 50/50 Custody: How Telework Is Reshaping Timeshare Disputes

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

In 2019, California family courts saw a 50/50 custody schedule mostly in cases where both parents had genuinely flexible work arrangements. After 2020, the assumption shifted: with millions of California parents working from home, the question is no longer whether 50/50 is logistically possible. It is whether being home counts as being present. Another unique

Remote Work and 50/50 Custody: How Telework Is Reshaping Timeshare Disputes Read More »

Couple finalizing California mortgage assumption agreement after divorce with attorney

Mortgage Assumption After Divorce: California’s New 2026 Lender Rules

calculate child support California, Divorce, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Peter Hermes, , , , ,
Leave a Comment / calculate child support California, Divorce, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Peter Hermes / , , , , , / By

For decades, the most painful financial knot in any California divorce involving a home was the mortgage. Even when one spouse kept the house and the divorce judgment ordered the other spouse off the title, the lender was not bound by that judgment. The departing spouse remained on the loan, their credit tied to the

Mortgage Assumption After Divorce: California’s New 2026 Lender Rules Read More »

Co-parents using a co-parenting app on smartphones to coordinate California custody schedule

Co-Parenting Apps in 2026: Court-Approved Tools for High-Conflict Cases

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

Co-parenting after a contentious divorce is hard. Co-parenting after a contentious divorce when every text becomes evidence and every voicemail becomes ammunition is harder. Los Angeles family judges have responded by increasingly ordering parents to communicate exclusively through dedicated co-parenting apps—platforms designed to memorialize, organize, and where appropriate, monitor communication between separated parents. In 2026,

Co-Parenting Apps in 2026: Court-Approved Tools for High-Conflict Cases Read More »

Discover why divorce mediation

Why Choosing Mediation Before Litigation Can Save Time, Money

Cost expectations, Divorce, Divorce Mediation, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Peter Hermes, , ,
Leave a Comment / Cost expectations, Divorce, Divorce Mediation, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Peter Hermes / , , , / By

Divorce Doesn’t Have to Begin in a Courtroom When most people think about divorce, they imagine lengthy court battles, expensive attorney fees, and emotional conflict. However, many California families are discovering a better path—divorce mediation. At Hermes Law Group, we believe that resolving disputes through respectful negotiation can often produce better outcomes than litigation. Mediation

Why Choosing Mediation Before Litigation Can Save Time, Money Read More »

Family law attorney reviewing social media evidence on tablet for California divorce custody case

Social Media Evidence in California Divorce: What Judges Will (and Won’t) Allow

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

A picture is worth a thousand words. In California family court in 2026, an Instagram story can be worth a primary custody assignment. Social media has become one of the most important sources of evidence in divorce and custody cases—not because judges enjoy scrolling, but because what people post tends to contradict what they say

Social Media Evidence in California Divorce: What Judges Will (and Won’t) Allow Read More »

Couple reviewing AI-generated divorce documents with a Los Angeles family law attorney for accuracy

AI-Generated Divorce Documents: When Free Tools Become Costly Mistakes

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

Generative AI has transformed how people approach almost every kind of writing—including legal writing. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and a wave of legal-specific tools can produce a marital settlement agreement in seconds. For divorcing couples watching attorney fees pile up, the temptation is obvious: why pay thousands of dollars for what an AI can draft in

AI-Generated Divorce Documents: When Free Tools Become Costly Mistakes Read More »

Recipient spouse meeting with career counselor about Gavron warning self-sufficiency obligation in California

Spousal Support Step-Downs and Gavron Warnings: The Self-Sufficiency Mandate

calculate child support California, Family Law attorney LA, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Mediation process, Peter Hermes, , , , ,
Leave a Comment / calculate child support California, Family Law attorney LA, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Mediation process, Peter Hermes / , , , , , / By

California spousal support carries a sometimes-overlooked feature that surprises many supported spouses years after the divorce: the legal duty to make reasonable efforts to become self-supporting. The state’s public policy is clear—spousal support is intended to bridge the supported spouse to financial independence, not to fund a permanent lifestyle. The mechanism by which courts enforce

Spousal Support Step-Downs and Gavron Warnings: The Self-Sufficiency Mandate Read More »

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

Cost expectations, Emotional/legal guidance, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Mediation Mistakes, Peter Hermes, , , , ,
Leave a Comment / Cost expectations, Emotional/legal guidance, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Mediation Mistakes, Peter Hermes / , , , , , / By

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,

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

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

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

calculate child support California, Divorce, Family Law attorney LA, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Peter Hermes, , , , ,
Leave a Comment / calculate child support California, Divorce, Family Law attorney LA, Family law mediation, Hermes Law Group, Peter Hermes / , , , , , / By

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

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

Scroll to Top