If you have received papers which lead you to believe that a Domestic Violence Restraining Order has been granted against you, the FIRST thing you need to do is read it carefully. Then read it again. If it is a valid order, it will have the signature of the judge and an actual ORDER by [...]
The answer to this question is, unfortunately, not clear. While I believe the answer should be "yes" it is qualified by a somewhat complicated analysis and may depend upon the specific facts of the case. The general rule is that, under Family Code 210 the Civil Discovery Act applies to proceedings under the Family Code. [...]
Nobody needs to explain to litigants in a family law case how high the stakes are. The one thing each person who comes to court understands is that losing is not an option. Except when it is. At the end of the day, if you put the court in a situation where they have to [...]
If you ever find yourself in a family court in California and are watching attorneys argue cases, you will almost certainly at some point hear an attorney raise an objection about late-filed or late-served papers at a Request for Order hearing. The concern is legitimate if it prevents people from responding on time or from [...]
Edward K. Santa Rosa, CA 5.0 star rating 10/3/2018 Wallace Francis represented me in getting my partner's daughters to stop their campaign of elder abuse. He filed letters of restraint against both of them which gave me time to move out of my partner's house without my being physically harmed. The women in question had [...]
Michael L. Napa, CA 5.0 star rating 12/1/2018 If you are looking for an effective and efficient attorney who will handle your case professionally and competently call Mr. Francis. Wallace handled a very difficult child custody case for my family regarding our grandson. He was always on time, prepared, and very well spoken in the [...]
After more than a decade of practicing family law I began to notice a pattern emerging in cases that I handled regarding a type of therapy called "reunification therapy". The pattern went something like this: 1. Children became resistant to visiting a parent. 2. Children stopped visiting parent. 3. Other parent claims the children stopped [...]
Today as I stood at the clerk's office filing some papers, I watched a woman burst into tears at the window next to me. He frustration was palpable. She indicated she had gone and sought help and some issue had arisen because the attorney on the other side was still in the case and had [...]
Choosing a lawyer is a difficult decision, and unfortunately it is a decision that has real repercussions. All attorneys are not equal and choosing the right attorney for the right case can make a very great difference. The following is a list of criteria one should be using when choosing a lawyer: 1. How much [...]
If you are someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, and you obtain a domestic violence restraining order under California law, you need to be aware of the effect it has upon child custody. Where there is a finding by a court that an act of domestic violence has occurred, there is "rebuttable [...]
