Greetings! If I haven’t yet told you, I got married in October! This beautiful time in my life did cause a bit of a delay in posting to my blog, but I invite you to click below on some new entries. I discuss prenuptial agreements (which I was asked about more than once as I…
As much as I enjoy helping people navigate difficulties like divorce and custody disputes, it always brightens my day when a stepparent adoption consultation crosses my door. During this optimistic call I talk to the biological parent and their spouse about the family dynamic between the children and their stepparent. It is encouraging to hear…
When people get married, they can be surprised to learn that their IRA or pension does not automatically pay to their new spouse. Why not? The bank holding the IRA or pension funds will try to honor whatever the participant first chose when they opened the account. These accounts will always have a nominated beneficiary,…
In California, premarital agreements (informally known as prenups) can address a variety of financial areas for a couple. In my previous blog, Prenuptial Agreements are not always One-Sided, I used the fictional couple, Fran and Max from The Nanny, to illustrate how prenups work well to address business debt. But what else can a prenup…
Weed, pot, reefer, marijuana – whatever you call it, it’s now fair game in California, and it’s a hot topic in many legal publications. Most articles speak positively about California’s new legislation, citing a positive impact on real estate and zoning, along with increased attendance at City Council meetings. As a surrogacy lawyer and adoption…
We’d all like to think divorce will never happen to us. We would never be involved in one of those crazy divorces you hear about or see on television. But what if it did happen? And what if you found out your soon-to-be ex is crazy? Where Do I Start When Getting a Divorce? I…
When did the term “reverse mortgage” become a bad word? Clients seem scared to ask me about it, but it’s actually a very important term to understand. So, are reverse mortgages a scam? The short answer is no. Reverse mortgages, when performed ethically and applied in the right situations, can help seniors gain access to…
As part of this series, we’re looking at some of the cases which have shaped assisted reproduction law over the years. What happens when the couple who decides to freeze their embryos breaks up? Here are two tragic cases of divorcing spouses fighting over who could keep or destroy their embryos: DIVORCE: FINDLEY V. LEE…
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine estimates that, just in the United States, 600,000 to 1 million cryo-preserved embryos are in storage. The total number is likely to continue to increase as other countries develop their own in vitro fertilization medical practices, and more couples in the United States delay growing their family until their…
What is your first big event of this year? Mine was giving a speech at the San Diego Law Library, where I was asked to speak about the intersection of assisted reproductive technologies with family law and estate planning. I presented material based on the work I do in family-building through drafting surrogacy contacts, egg…
