Editor’s Note: The holdings from various cases are below. Dawn Gray’s extensive summaries of those cases, too lengthy to publish in the Newsletter, are on the ACFLS website on the Current Newsletters page. The full text of her short summaries of other cases of interest is also provided below and on the website. Andrew V. v. Superior Court, 234 Cal. A...
Debra Frank
Editor’s Note: The holdings from various cases are below. Dawn Gray’s extensive summaries...
Avery Cooper, CFLS
.showMe {list-style-type: disc;} In 2016, the California Supreme Court reinstated a...
ACFLS
This month marks the end of my tenure as president of the Association of Certified Family...
James M. Crawford, Jr., JD
Welcome to our Winter edition of the ACFLS Family Law Specialist. My thanks to the authors...
James A. Hennenhoefer, CFLS
Thank you, Carolyn Keene1 Our work sometimes brings out my inner Nancy Drew.23 One of t...
Debra Frank
We recently celebrated the holiday party wherein we said goodbye to a few of our friends t...
Diana E. Richmond, CFLS
On December 17, 2019, the Honorable Thomas Trent Lewis retired from his long-standing posi...
Ronald S. Granberg, CFLS
Introduction Let’s explore Marriage of Anka and Yeager (2019) 31 Cal. App.5th 1115 (Anka)...
Diana E. Richmond, CFLS
Being with Tommy for 47 years, a mark of his character is his humility, decency, integrity...
Hon. Maren Nelson
Congratulations to the Honorable B. Scott Thomsen, recipient of the 2019 Hall of Fame awar...
Hon. Maren Nelson
Sherry Peterson, Ari Levy and David Lederman have taken ACFLS to the highest level of educ...
Hon. Maren Nelson
At the ACFLS 2019 Annual Holiday Party held on Saturday night, December 7, 2019, at the Si...
Hon. Maren Nelson
In November 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Brace v. Spe...
Robert E. Blevans, CFLS
Family law, in my opinion, is the most complex area in the practice of law. Not only do we...
Robert E. Blevans, CFLS
That is Impact! Last Issue, ACFLS honored the Honorable Judge Trent Lewis who retired on...
Robert E. Blevans, CFLS
Most experienced family lawyers know that personality disorders have become a significant...
Robert E. Blevans, CFLS
Introduction – An Office Visit “I need some help – I’m lost in the woods,” exclaimed Sam...
Dawn Gray, CFLS
On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court issued its historic rulings in the compa...
Dawn Gray, CFLS
When I look back on time served on the ACFLS board, Many years from now, I won’t remem...
Dawn Gray, CFLS
McClintock v. West (2013) 219 Cal.App.4th 540, 162 Cal.Rptr.3d 61. Holding: The trial co...
Jonathan G. Stein, JD
A Short History – Reform: Organizational changes were made to the State of California’s C...
Jonathan G. Stein, JD
I’m very excited to serve as Editor of the ACFLS Family Law Specialist for the 2014 term....
D. Thomas Woodruff, CFLS
Having completed a year as a family court judge, with no prior family law experience, I ta...
D. Thomas Woodruff, CFLS
Most family lawyers have done some limited scope representation, and we know that when it...
D. Thomas Woodruff, CFLS
When you’re doing a military divorce case and it comes time to deal with the military reti...
D. Thomas Woodruff, CFLS
This article focuses on the income approach to determining the marital standard of living...
D. Thomas Woodruff, CFLS
This year we all have experienced significant challenges and changes in our lives due to t...
D. Thomas Woodruff, CFLS
Define Reality, Provide Hope The original quote is attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte: “Th...
Hon. Thomas Trent Lewis Ret.
[The first part of this article dealt with the basics of Guard and Reserve military servic...
Hon. Thomas Trent Lewis Ret.
Doveryai, no proveryai: “Trust, but verify.” Ronald Reagan famously repeated this Russian...
Hon. Thomas Trent Lewis Ret.
I. Introduction Settlement negotiations, whether in the context of a mediation or outs...
Hon. Thomas Trent Lewis Ret.
At the recent CEB Conference of Family Law, the hot topic of the day was whether our clien...
Hon. Donald King Ret.
When I first started practicing law fax machines had just come in and used that weird, cha...
Hon. Donald King Ret.
With the focus in the divorce literature over the last several years being on high conflic...
Hon. Donald King Ret.
This issue is filled with articles for sharpening our skills as lawyers, improving our kno...
Hon. Donald King Ret.
ACFLS 22nd Spring Seminar The 22nd ACFLS Spring Seminar was our most successful yet, with...
Hon. Donald King Ret.
In re Marriage of Finby (2013) 222 Cal.App.4th 977, 166 Cal.Rptr.3d 305 Holding: In this...
Hon. Donald King Ret.
So, you won your case today!! Slam dunk!! Congratulations!! High fives all around!! So, wh...
Hon. Donald King Ret.
Nothing better defines a lawyer than his or her ability to maneuver in a courtroom. With o...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
Like many in attendance, I greatly enjoyed the recent ACFLS 22nd Annual Spring Seminar tha...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
Given the potential importance of properly requesting and then objecting to a statement of...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
Everyone associates me with the law on fiduciary duties, and I have presented on this issu...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
Military retirement benefits are not handled in the same manner as private pension plans,...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
Before I became a lawyer, which was a full half of my life ago now, I felt myself to be a...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
On February 7, 2014, the listservs in the family law community were ablaze with comments a...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
I hope you had an enjoyable summer. Your ACFLS Journal Editorial Board has been hard at wo...
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack
Summer Activities Even in the doldrums of the summer heat, our ACFLS committees carry on...
R. Ann Fallon, CFLS
Since I started my legal career as a Deputy District Attorney in the early 1990s, I’ve han...
R. Ann Fallon, CFLS
I remember the color of the book cover – it was bright yellow with stark lettering: The Pa...
R. Ann Fallon, CFLS
“[M]arital dissolution trials proceed under the same general rules of procedure that gover...
R. Ann Fallon, CFLS
ACFLS is already planning the 2015 edition of its highly touted annual Spring Seminar in R...
R. Ann Fallon, CFLS
In re Marriage of Haugh (2014) 225 Cal.App.4th 963, 170 Cal.Rptr.3d 683 Holding: In this...
Stephen J. Wagner, CFLS
This cannot possibly be worth it. I am leaving the office for two weeks and have spent the...
Stephen J. Wagner, CFLS
Family law practitioners need to find effective strategies to assist our clients in dealin...
Stephen J. Wagner, CFLS
We launch a new year – and ACFLS, and the Specialist, continue to evolve, and grow. Lynett...
Stephen J. Wagner, CFLS
Following the path blazed by our intrepid Immediate Past President Diane Wasznicky is inde...
Stephen J. Wagner, CFLS
It’s not uncommon for me to receive a call from trial counsel at the end of the day asking...
James M. Crawford, Jr., JD
On December 7, 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to hear two cases, one...
James M. Crawford, Jr., JD
Additions to the Rules of Court that took effect on January 1, 2013 governing non-domestic...
Sherry Peterson, CFLS
The ACFLS Listserv has a new address. That’s right. Our former webserver rather suddenly e...
ACFLS
Since it is the beginning of a brand new year, at least as I write this, I think it is tim...
Sherry Peterson, CFLS
I. Introduction The financial world has gotten very complicated… This article addre...
Sherry Peterson, CFLS
D ue to the major social and political changes in our country...
Sherry Peterson, CFLS
Change is understandably needed. No need to resist. The Fall season is upon us and unfo...
Sherry Peterson, CFLS
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed in bold the systemic failure of the court system to respond...
ACFLS
[The second part of this article covered how to calculate retired pay for the Reserve Comp...
ACFLS
Since it is the beginning of a brand new year, at least as I write this, I think it is tim...
ACFLS
At first glance, a tax practice which consists of both trust litigation and estate plannin...
Avery Cooper, CFLS
1. Introduction The global outbreak of COVID-19 and shelter-in-place orders have impacted...
Hon. Louise Fightmaster
Facts and Case History After serving in the military for several years, Tim Green commenc...
Hon. Louise Fightmaster
2013 Spring Seminar and Other ACFLS Board Activities Our ACFLS 2013 Spring Seminar, “Call...
Hon. Louise Fightmaster
THE ODD COUPLE: FAMILY AND DEPENDENCY LAW You are a family law certified specialist. Conf...
Hon. Louise Fightmaster
Happy Holidays Everyone! I am honored to be sending you my first “President’s Message” as...
Stephen Temko, CFLS, CALS
Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exu...
Hon. Louise Fightmaster
Each in our own way, we all try and help those around us. I would like to share a story of...
Stephen Temko, CFLS, CALS
Following in the footsteps of England and Wales (2015) and Ireland and Scotland (2019), Ca...
Stephen Temko, CFLS, CALS
A divorce can have a significant impact on a family’s financial and emotional well-being....
Avery Cooper, CFLS
Part One of this article covered estate fundamentals— things that a family law attorney sh...
Hon. Mitchell Beckloff
California’s already-besieged court system ground to a near halt in March as Governor Gavi...
Hon. Mitchell Beckloff
First and foremost, I would like to extend my thanks to our Associate Editor, Debra Frank,...
ACFLS
Welcome to the 21st Century, a wonderful time indeed to experience all that technology has...
ACFLS
“Only fools assert that they are free of biases.” (Martindale, D. A., “Bias and Prejudice...
ACFLS
In Ficke (In re Marriage of Ficke, 13 DJDAR 7438, 6/12/2013) a trial judge apparently deci...
ACFLS
In re the Marriage of Veronica and Curtis Priem (2013) 214 Cal.App.4th 505, 153 Cal.Rptr.3...
ACFLS
I. Introduction Our traditional notions of how legal system should operate have siloed ar...
ACFLS
Welcome back to “normal!" As we have traversed the Pandemic back to being in-person, I...
Ronald S. Granberg, CFLS
In this article, in a multi-part series, we discuss several aspects of the errors made by...
Sherry Peterson, CFLS
Most transactions today are conducted digitally. According to the Federal Reserve, in 2018...
Hon. Dennis A. Cornell Ret.
Keeping it short and sweet… We have several informative and thought-provoking articles fo...
Ronald S. Granberg, CFLS
Credible appraisal reports must be grounded in established professional standards and prov...
Ronald S. Granberg, CFLS
So, you did not get what you expected from the judge on that recent motion? We have all be...
James M. Crawford, Jr., JD
I hope you have had a fabulous 2021 so far and are enjoying the holiday season. Thank you...
James M. Crawford, Jr., JD
Assembly Bill (AB) 611 is pending legislation in California. This legislation attempts to...
James M. Crawford, Jr., JD
My previous article discussed how biases could severely affect abuse victims in custody ca...
ACFLS
Is private judging soon to be a thing of the past in a post Jolie v. Superior Court world?...
ACFLS
The Impact of Trauma Must Not Be Overlooked or Trivialized Many of our dissolution of mar...
James A. Hennenhoefer, CFLS
Part one of this article focused on consumer-to-consumer digital money transfer services a...
James A. Hennenhoefer, CFLS
So long and farewell… As my three-year term comes to an end, I thank each and every one o...
ACFLS
Few provisions of the Evidence Code are more habitually cited by family law practitioners...
Debra Frank
Compassion. Kindness. Patience. Honesty. These are the virtues we have been taught from th...
Terry L. Pasteris, CCP, GRP
Dear Reader, It is with great pleasure we share the thoughtful works of our wonderful aut...
ACFLS
What happens with military pensions in a divorce? To illustrate the answer, imagine receiv...
Hon. B. Scott Silverman
You are familiar with the “Stepped-Up Basis Rule”: an inherited asset receives a basis tha...
ACFLS
It’s hard to believe that I am closing in on the end of my two-year term as President of A...
Debra Frank
Dear Reader, Once again, we are pleased to provide a variety of interesting topics for yo...
Debra Frank
Courts play an important role in ensuring that unconscionable agreements are not enforced,...
Sherry Peterson, CFLS
Prior to Haley v. Antunovich,1 caselaw was silent on whether a child support recipient cou...
ACFLS
1. Property Acquisition Forms Except as otherwise provided by statute, all property acqui...
James A. Hennenhoefer, CFLS
Our high-level seminars always inspire a whole host of changes attorneys should make to br...
Diana E. Richmond, CFLS
There are two situations where service is required: a. Service of process, (summons), to...
Ronald S. Granberg, CFLS
I learned of Dawn Gray’s retirement in the same way that often I learn about what my fello...