Jim Hallett

Often in divorces, the parties agree that one spouse will get the house free and clear after agreeing on a value and further agreeing to offset that value with other marital assets. There are multiple complications in making such an exchange, however.   One of the most vexing is how to get the moving-out spouse off the mortgage. Typically, the parties bought the house by obtaining a mortgage in … [Read more...] about Getting Your Former Spouse Off the Mortgage

Responsible Family lawyers know they can’t be experts in everything.   They should know divorce law completely.   But they also should know enough about other areas of law and expertise to tell you that you need expert help.   Here are some examples: 1. Forensic accountants  These are usually CPAs with expertise in court systems and further expertise in family law.   They can value a … [Read more...] about Using Experts in Divorces

20 years ago child and spousal support were sorted out by only a judge. Today, these are handled by a program called Dissomaster.   In the bad old days (over 20 years ago), divorcing couples trying to sort out child and spousal support were at the mercy of whatever judge got assigned to their case.   It was in many ways a decision-making process based on whimsey and … [Read more...] about Dissomaster: Computerized Justice in Divorce Courts

California is famously known as a no-fault state in divorce courts. But is this really true? The idea of no-fault divorce became prominent over 50 years ago, with California leading the country in making this reform, and this idea continues on to today.   The foremost example of this is found in the phrase “irreconcilable differences,” which is all you have to claim in order to get a court … [Read more...] about Is California a No-Fault State in Divorce Courts?

After centuries of letting domestic violence incidents slide by without consequences, American courts, especially in California and even more especially in Los Angeles County, are taking domestic violence seriously. This can be, however, a two-edged sword.  People can make these charges thoughtlessly and then wish they had not, or people can decide not to bring charges and then wish they … [Read more...] about Domestic Violence in Los Angeles County

There has been a lot of talk about changes in California criminal law sentencing lately, and much of it is quite real.   The actual effect of these changes, however, is often, as a practical matter, exaggerated. Sentencing has recently been affected by voter initiatives, state legislation, court opinions, and the election of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon (an … [Read more...] about Changes in California Criminal Sentencing