Matthew Sullivan, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist (California Lic. # PSY10214) in private practice in Palo Alto, California, who specializes in forensic child and family psychology. He has been in private practice in Palo Alto for 20 years, specializing in Forensic Family psychology. He is a pioneer in the field of Parenting Coordination, which he [...]

Living separate and apart means what? In a nutshell, this new decision states that even if you are under the same roof, even if you are sleeping in separate beds, have not had sex in ten years, keeping separate bank accounts, and driving to the family events in separate cars, you are NOT separated under [...]

Under California law, a person who is party to a divorce has to keep paying the mortgage. There is an automatic order that comes into effect upon filing. But what happens when a temporary child support or spousal support order comes into effect that makes it impossible? The answer is not a great one, and [...]

The short answer is "no". But like a lot of answers from lawyers, this is not the end of it. California Family Code 3042, subsections (a) through (d) specifically state: (a) If a child is of sufficient age and capacity to reason so as to form an intelligent preference as to custody or visitation, the [...]

If you are wondering whether you can set-aside a child support order, you need to know some basic things: 1. Do not allege fraud or perjury at all in any moving papers (or anywhere) for that matter, because the lead case on this issue, In Re Marriage of Zimmerman 183 Cal.App.4th 900 (2010) is commonly [...]

  The three Bloomfield Hills children caught up in a custody dispute that made international headlines have successfully reunited with their father, and have been living with him since Aug. 13, according to Oakland County Circuit Court records. The children, ages 9, 11, and 14, underwent a court-ordered five day intensive therapy treatment designed to [...]

  Divorcing a narcissist may be the toughest fight of your life. While your marriage to a narcissist may have seemed like hell, divorcing him/her can be painfully agonizing, making your marriage seem like a walk in the park. Following my recent blog, the #1 Secret to Engaging a Narcissist, I received hundreds of emails [...]

One remarkable difference between family law cases and other kinds of cases are the fee-shifting statutes-laws that are designed to "even the playing field" by providing attorney fees to the party who has less money. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the people with money win in the court against the people [...]

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