We receive this question a lot: “Do I need a lawyer if I’m mediating my divorce?” The short answer is: YES. You need a lawyer to help you understand your legal exposure – i.e. your best and worst case scenarios for property, debt, reimbursements, child custody, financial support etc. BUT, depending on the complexity of your case, sometimes only 1-3 hours with a seasoned attorney is all you need. Other people choose to “retain” a lawyer to either (a) join …
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It’s not a misspelling. It’s actually a meaningful acronym: Family Advocacy is Your Responsibility, or Fayr, a new(ish) co-parenting app that has quickly become my favorite to recommend – and it will be yours soon, too, if you’re looking for a thoughtfully designed co-parenting tool. Michael Daniels created Fayr to manage his own co-parenting relationship. After he and his wife divorced, he found himself spending more time tracking paperwork, daily logs and receipts – that he was later accused of “making …
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Nothing causes anxiety like a divorce that’s “stuck.” The solution? Declutter your divorce and get it back on track. Now’s a great time to finalize your divorce. Or, at least head in that direction. By getting your divorce on track before summer, you can make any “big” lifestyle changes while your kids are out for the break and you have long sunshine-y days. So why should you “declutter” your divorce and get it on track? Because one thing that causes …
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10 years ago, Erin Levine and Shelley VanRenselaar left their comfortable jobs at a bustling law office in Fairfield, CA to venture out into the unknown. Armed with her signature pink briefcase and the best paralegal in town, Erin set out to build Levine Family Law Group – a full-service boutique firm in Emeryville, CA. 10 years later, LFLG has solidified its place as a leading divorce and family law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. So what is …
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By: Stan Sarkisov “The past decade has also seen the advent and ascendency of social media, with websites such as Facebook and Twitter occupying a central place in the lives of so many people.” – NY Supreme Court, ruling that spouses can be served divorce papers via Facebook (Baidoo v. Blood-Dzraku) Your ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ aren’t the only ones paying attention to your social media—so are judges, attorneys, and well, likely your ex and his or her community. During the …
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If you’ve been weighing divorce and have decided that 2019 is the year you move to your next chapter, there are a few new laws you should know about before you file. Changes to Spousal Support When sweeping federal tax reform became law in late 2017, it included a big change to the way spousal support would be considered, beginning January 1, 2019. In the past, the spouse providing support would get a tax deduction for the payments, and …
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We asked Ian Lyngklip, of Lyngklip and Associates, Consumer Law Center, to weigh in on how you can protect and/or repair your credit after divorce. Read Ian’s guest blog below! Most people think that divorce is the end of their relationship with their spouse. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s not necessarily true. In fact, divorce can be just the beginning of what is a long and difficult battle to reclaim your credit and your …
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I have been a practicing family law attorney for over a decade at Levine Family Law Group and now Hello Divorce. A couple weeks ago a client came in for a second opinion. He had hired a lawyer 6 weeks ago and wasn’t even sure if he had filed a petition to divorce, and couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone in his attorney’s office about the status of her case. Honestly, nothing frustrates me more than lawyers who don’t …
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Levine Family Law Group is pleased to share that two of our attorneys have been selected for recognition by Super Lawyers* of California. Erin Levine and Ashley Schuh have been selected as a Super Lawyers, 2018! An update on our story: This has been a fabulous year for the Levine Team! We continue to provide unique legal solutions for modern families in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve decided to use this post as an opportunity to share some of …
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By: Monica Espinosa Going through divorce is challenging enough, but when English is not your first language the legal jargon, paperwork and process can be even more intimidating – and put you at a real disadvantage. There are linguistic and cultural nuances sometimes lost in translation that can make the difference between winning and losing on an issue. And though many court forms have instructions in other languages, responses and any declarations that the court will read must be in …
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