California Divorce Guide Blog

The Family Law firm of Dishon & Block provides this blog as a supplement to our California Divorce Guide.  The Guide is a thorough explanation of the divorce process in the state of California.  We will provide articles, advice and tips that will help you manage your divorce financially, emotionally, and with respect to your family.

Nothing will replace the professional guidance you will receive from the representation of a family law attorney, but it’s our goal that the California Divorce Guide will enable you to understand the divorce process and court procedures.  Knowledge will help you to navigate the California family law system with less stress and confusion – regardless of whether you choose to retain a divorce lawyer or not.

Recent Articles

Nov 14, 2013

New California Law Will Allow For More Than Two Legal Parents

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a bill into a law that will allow a child to have more than two legal parents. California is joining two other states and D.C. by making this change.

According to a press release, the bill was written to match the growing number of families with same-sex parents, biological parents, etc. Senator Leno, who wrote the bill, stated to The Sacramento Bee that he doesn’t believe this will be the case for many families, but that it needs to be a possibility for families that are in those circumstances.

The court must look at all “relevant factors” and specifically how they affect the child in determining if someone should legally have more than two parents.

The new law will take effect in 2014.

Nov 9, 2013

Spruce Up Your Home

Author and divorce blogger Lois Tarter recently wrote a post regarding a new, fun way to help you move on from your marriage– a home makeover! You may have the place to yourself now, and the way your house/apartment looks may remind you of your husband or wife. It may not be the smartest time to invest in a big renovation or new home, but there are cheap ways to do it right.

Nov 1, 2013

How to Prepare For Your First Mediation Session

We’ve discussed in this blog whether you should or shouldn’t use mediation, what it is, how it can help, etc. So let’s assume that you’ve decided to go through with the process. Where do you start? Divorce Mediator Michelle Rozen recently shared these eight things you should do prior to your first mediation session, and we want to share them here with you:

Oct 28, 2013

Using Experts in Divorce

While our family law attorneys are experienced in helping families throughout the divorce process, they are experts in the law. Child advocate Caroline Choi recently shared a few other experts you may want to consider using, and we thought we’d share her information with you. An expert can be court-appointed or retained by you and/or your spouse.

Oct 17, 2013

Negotiate or Litigate

That’s the million dollar question. Everyone going through a divorce needs to decide what process they’ll take. The decision you make may have a great impact on you and on your loved ones who will ultimately feel the pain of the divorce as well– such as your children.

Oct 11, 2013

Telling Your Child He/She Needs Therapy

The simple title of this post could cause some parents anxiety. For a variety of reasons, some parents are truly terrified to even try to tell their children that they may need to see a therapist. Many children should see a therapist after their parents divorce or separate, but that’s a tough thing to talk about.

Will they be angry? Defensive? Emotional? Will he think that you see him as a failure or not mentally stable? Psychotherapist Kate Scharff believes that the parents often have a harder time believing that their kids need therapy than the children do. Here’s what she says you can do to make the discussion go as smooth as can be:

Wait for a calm moment. This may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many parents will get into a fight with their child and, in the heat of the moment, yell “You need therapy!” This is obviously not a good idea and will only elicit a negative response.

Identify the problem. Don’t make vague statements about what you think may be happening. Tell them exactly what you’ve noticed that has concerned you. This may help them realize some of their issues that therapy might help fix.

Offer compassion. Again, this might not need to be stated, but be as compassionate as possible. Your child will need comforting and an understanding ear to speak to.

Explain therapy. Research it and study how therapy works. This will take away some of the mystery and scariness.

Once therapy is underway…

Don’t “grill” your child. He/she may want to talk all about it or not at all. It’s ok to ask a question or two, but don’t ask 20. That may actually be quite counterproductive.

Remind them that therapy is a resource, but don’t say it too often. And please, do NOT say it as a defense mechanism… ie- “You should really see your therapist more often…” in a heated moment.

Don’t use therapy as discipline. Don’t make your child see it as a punishment, or he/she will never want to go.

Oct 5, 2013

Taking to Children About Divorce

HealthNewsDigest recently posted an article with tips regarding how to talk to your kids about divorce, and we thought we’d share the information here. Telling your kids that you will be splitting from your spouse is one of the hardest things a parent can do. Depending on the age of your children, they may not fully comprehend why it’s happening or how it involves them.

Sep 23, 2013

Divorce Basics

We spend a lot of time discussing the intricacies of divorce, so this post is dedicated to the basics in California. Why? Because simply knowing the basics can save you time and money, and we’re all about that.

Sep 16, 2013

Know Your Rights with a Restraining Order

What are restraining orders? Most people are aware that they can be issued to victims of domestic abuse, and that they can also be issued to people facing civil harassment. What you may not know is how to file restraining order, what the burden of proof, what rights are yours when the court grants you such an order, and if you should get a restraining order in the first place. What do you need to know about these orders?

Sep 8, 2013

Dealing with Change

One of the hardest parts of divorce for most people is the amount of change that will occur. Many of the stable things in your life that have been that way for potentially many years change rapidly. Change is inevitable when divorcing or separating. But here are a few tips from Cheryl Dillon, CPC, ELI-MP that can help you through the process:

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