Family Law Blog

DissoMaster was commercial software, a Thomson Reuters product, that California family law attorneys and courts used for years to calculate guideline child support under Family Code section 4055 and to estimate temporary spousal support. Thomson Reuters discontinued DissoMaster as of March 31, 2025, and it is not on the Judicial Council’s current list of certified […]

In a California divorce, business valuation in divorce starts only after the court decides how much of the business is community property. The court then values the business, usually as near as practicable to the time of trial, using income, market, or asset approaches, and divides the community share equally. For business owners and spouses […]

A 730 evaluation is a court-ordered child custody evaluation by a mental health professional the judge appoints under Evidence Code section 730 to investigate and report on the child’s best interests in a contested custody case. The evaluator interviews the parents and child, gathers records, and writes a confidential report recommending a parenting plan; those […]

A postnuptial agreement in California is a written contract spouses sign after the wedding to define how assets, debts, and income will be handled during the marriage or in the event of divorce. California allows postnups, but courts review them more closely than prenuptial agreements because spouses owe each other fiduciary duties once they are […]

A status conference in California family court is a court event where the judge checks on the progress of your case, sets deadlines, and decides what needs to happen next to keep it moving toward a final judgment. It is not a trial, and it usually is not where contested issues like custody or support […]

Gray divorce is the term for a divorce between spouses who are 50 or older, usually after a long marriage. In California, the same community property and spousal support laws apply at any age, but the issues that matter most change: retirement accounts and pensions, Social Security, long-term spousal support, the family home, and health […]

The Moore Marsden rule decides how much of a home bought before marriage belongs to the community when community funds paid down the mortgage after the wedding. The house stays the buying spouse’s separate property, but the community earns a share equal to the principal it paid plus a matching percentage of the appreciation during […]

In California, you change your name after divorce by asking the court to restore your former name, either in the divorce judgment itself or, if the divorce is already final, with form FL-395. Family Code section 2080 says the judge shall restore a birth name or former name when a party asks, and the signed […]

Summary dissolution is California’s short-form divorce for couples with a brief marriage, no children together, no real estate, and few assets or debts. Both spouses file one joint petition (form FL-800), nobody goes to court, and the marriage ends six months after filing unless either spouse revokes. The eligibility criteria are strict and set by […]

A military divorce in California follows the same Family Code as any other divorce, but it also brings in federal rules that can change timing, strategy, and long-term outcomes. Community property is still divided equally, custody is still decided by the best interest of the child, and support still runs through the statewide guideline; what […]