family law – The Bar Association of San Francisco

The Challenge of Imbalance

Where persons in a marital or nonmarital relationship have relatively equal bargaining power, that balance of power can help them dissolve those relationships amicably and reasonably, without a great deal of assistance from either attorneys or the court. In many…

Lawyers Find Strategies for Dealing with Secondary Trauma

Like many lawyers, Vicki Trapalis is called upon to deal with other people’s trauma on a daily basis. She works in San Francisco’s dependency court, representing children who have been through unimaginable horrors. Recently, she got a desperate call from…

Is Everything We Think About Child Custody Wrong?

California law notably avoids stating any preference for any particular type of parenting plan. Instead, our courts have the “widest discretion to choose a parenting plan that is in the best interest of the child… .” (Family Code § 3040(d).)…

Harvey Weinstein Does Not Have to Pre-Pay Child Support… For Now

It is impossible to avoid news of the downfall of Harvey Weinstein. His ex-wife, Eve Chilton, cited current events when she recently requested pre-payment of Weinstein’s child support obligation. Page Six reported that court pleadings show that Chilton sought…

Family Law Corner: Is the Sun Really Setting on Reality Star’s Marriage?

After only three months of marriage, Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi (reality star of Bravo network’s “Shahs of Sunset”) requested a restraining order against her husband, Shalom Yeroushalmi. The “Bravolebrity” married Yeroushalmi in a surprise wedding only a month after he…

Family Law Corner: Schwarzenegger and Shriver: Failure to Terminate

… Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver were all over the news in 2011 when they started their divorce amid revelations that Schwarzenegger fathered a child with their housekeeper. All eyes were on them as they faced dividing their $400 million…

Justice & Diversity Center Supervising Attorney Receives 2018 Brosnahan Fellowship Award

The Brosnahan Fellowship award selection committee has named its recipient for 2018: Stephanie Bilinski, Family Law Supervising Attorney at the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC). The fellowship funds a monetary gift to an outstanding JDC employee each year. Bilinski well…

Family Law Corner: Will Reality Show Accusations Play a Starring Role in Real Housewife Custody Case?

The Real Housewives franchise that started it all, the “Real Housewives of Orange County” (RHOC), is back in the news again due to cast member Shannon Beador’s impending divorce. RHOC’s undeniable “star,” original cast member Vicki Gunvalson (the “O.G. of…

Family Law Corner: Divorce is No Laughing Matter For Comedian Ron White

In late June, singer-songwriter Margo Rey filed for divorce in Los Angeles from comedian Ron White (known as “Tater Salad”), claiming that although they were married in California in 2013, they were common-law married in Texas in 2008. White became…

Absence of Court Reporters in Family Law Courts = Access to Justice Denied

California courts’ ongoing funding crisis is failing those most vulnerable. Since 2009, the nation’s largest judicial branch has experienced budget cuts in the hundreds of millions of dollars, resulting in drastically reduced court staffing and services in most of California’s 58 counties. Even as…

Volunteer Attorney Offers Life-Changing Family Law Assistance

Professionally, Jennifer Letulle practices a wide range of civil law, including contracts, employment, design defect and professional liability. Family law isn’t part of her day job but that hasn’t stopped her from representing 35 family law clients through the Justice…

Pro Bono Family Law Attorney Equates Social Responsibility With Success

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) thanks Volunteer of the Month, Audrey Courson, who has taken on eight matters with the Family Law Project since January 2016. Courson previously practiced general civil litigation, and now focuses on family law in…