In a recent blog post “Your Spouse’s ‘Hidden’ Assets – A Checklist” mentioned in the South Carolina Family Law Blog, Georgia Family Law Attorney Steve Worrall provided a useful and extensive list of assets that are often overlooked or hidden in divorces and legal separations.  In California, all assets acquired during marriage by either party are presumed to be community property.  It is important that prior to the division of property or property settlement in a family law case, all valuable assets are identified and located. The list of assets below is not exhaustive, but is a great tool for litigants and attorneys alike.
1. Frequent flyer mileage
2. Security deposits (e.g., utilities, car lease)
3. Timeshare property
4. Leased vehicles, cell phone, other items
5. Stock options
6. Memberships (e.g., country club)
7. Bond or deposit for country club
8. Unused vacation, sick leave
9. Patents, copyrights, royalties
10. Income tax refunds
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Previously, I discussed How to Reduce Child Support If You Lose Your Job. The focus of that post was how to modify your support obligations based on a change of your income. The current post looks at other ways to reduce your child support obligations.

After you lose a job, whether you are working less or not at all, you may have more free time to spend with your child or children. Child Support takes into account the amount of time each parent spends with the child(ren). Timseshare is a major factor in the California guideline child support formula. If you are not working all day or everyday, you might be able to spend additional time with your kids each week. This could increase your timeshare, and result in a lower monthly child support payment. This could save more money for you and the other parent if this additional time replace afterschool care, daycare, or another out of pocket expense. Read more of this post.

California child support is based on a complex formula that takes many factors into account. This formula is called guideline child support. One of the primary child support factors is the income of each parent. A change in either parents’ income caused by the loss of a job, a paycut, or a new job will result in a corresponding change in the guideline child support. Read more of this post.

I provide a free initial consultation for family law matters. This gives me an opportunity to meet with a potential client, learn about their situation and decide how I can most effectively represent them. I then prepare a detailed representation agreement that describes the specific legal services that I will provide in that particular case along with a fixed fee for those services. In a prior post, I suggested five questions to help you choose a family law attorney. Below are five things to bring with you to an initial consultation to help you and the family law attorney evaluate your case. Read more of this post.

Hiring the right family law attorney for your case can make your divorce easier, less expensive and more peaceful. Attorneys and lawfirms have different structures, philosophies and billing models. When you consult with a divorce attorney, these five questions may help you choose the right attorney for you.

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