Estate Planning

Divorcing people frequently ask me when they will stop feeling like they have failed—their children, their families, their spouse, themselves. Divorce happens—sometimes even when we have done our very best and tried everything we know. The loss hurts and is heartbreaking. But you can survive it and come through on the other side. Here are 3 things to consider: Be Informed At this stage, you [Read more...] about How Do I Survive the Pain of Divorce

Divorce can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be messy. Hal Bartholomew is an attorney who advocates for “collaborative divorce.”  The “collaborative” approach involves everyone having an attorney, a therapist and a financial consultant. View the Video Interview [Read more...] about Interview: How to have a Nice Divorce

Thursday, December 22, 2016 Ed Goldman, Columnist Sacramento Business Journal Dec 21, 2016, 8:30am PST Hal Bartholomew thinks divorcing couples can collaborate While Hal D. Bartholomew doesn’t really remind me of Joan Rivers (for one, he’s a lot taller; for another, he’s alive) his professional mantra evokes the late comedian’s most famous intro: “Can we talk?” Bartholomew is the [Read more...] about Divorcing Couples Can Collaborate

Contrary to what many people think, filing for divorce does not automatically end a marriage.  While starting the divorce process with the Court helps people move forward, the fact is that becoming unmarried does not happen overnight. In California, the waiting period to become unmarried is six months.  The six month clock starts ticking when a spouse is served with the petition and [Read more...] about Can You Stop a Divorce Once its Started?

When people get married, they typically don’t expect to get divorced. They don’t expect that they’ll fall out of love with their spouse or become so bitter and angry that they can’t even be in the same room as the other person. And they don’t expect that they might do or say things they would later regret. During a divorce, good people can make some bad decisions. However, the fact that you [Read more...] about Collaboration can Help Secure Good Solutions for Bad Situations

1. Hiding Information Your attorney will be your advocate through this emotional process.  It is important you disclose any and all information, no matter how embarrassing or personal it may seem. 2. Negative Activity on Social Media Today we use social media to update friends and family on our daily lives, however remember to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram wisely.  Don’t post [Read more...] about 9 Things to Avoid During the Process of Divorce

It seems like everywhere we look, we are being told that there is a right way to do something and a wrong way to do something. For instance, stories about divorce are more available than ever. We read about dramatic celebrity divorces ending in multi-million dollar settlements, the quiet, amicable divorce of two strangers who took a picture that went viral and everything in between. And for [Read more...] about Is There a Right Way to Divorce?

When a family unit breaks down and two partners are no longer on the same page, the most affected party is always the children. Children are too young to fend for themselves so certain laws have been put into place in order to ensure their welfare even when mom and dad are at odds with each other. Defining Child Support In simple terms, child support is a continuous scheduled payment made by [Read more...] about Understanding Child Support Laws of Sacramento County in California