With Your Family in Mind

Whether we want to make more friends, excel in our career or find true love, confidence has a key role in success.  So many people struggle with social anxiety, “being themselves” and relaxing enough to “close the deal.”  We know what we should do and remind ourselves that we have nothing to fear and yet... that’s not enough.  We can become the shy, awkward person who misses out again and again on opportunities.
Wouldn’t it be great if we felt we could talk to that girl or boy we’ve been crushing on?

1. Decide what you want. No one can have it all - not in good times, and especially not in bad times. If you want to get divorced and your spouse is unemployed, your house is over-mortgaged, and you’re swimming in credit card debt, you can still do it - but you’re not going to walk out of the courtroom free of debt and with a nice sized nest egg to start your new life.
2. Explore your options. Regardless of whether you are ready or able to get divorced now, you can still meet with a lawyer and find out what your legal options are. You can meet with a counselor or therapist and start dealing with your emotions and the relationships you are in. You can start preparing yourself, not only to be ready to get divorced in the future, if that’s what you choose to do, but to live a better life in the present.

The amount you can deduct on your taxes as a result of buying long-term care insurance has been increased by the IRS for 2013.If you itemize your deductions, you can generally deduct part of your premiums if the premiums, together with your other unreimbursed medical expenses, amount to more...

Creating a parenting plan after separation can be difficult.  A large factor in determining a parenting plan is the schedules of both the parents and the children.  The Los Angeles Superior Court offers some suggested parenting plans on their website that could be helpful to parents in...

With passing years, easy bruising becomes increasingly more common with seniors with the mildest bump or blow.  Exactly, what causes this?  Over time our capillaries age and become more fragile and prone to rupture.  Our skin also becomes thinner, losing the protective fatty layer that helps to cushion blood vessels against injury.  Bruises form when the small blood vessels or capillaries near the skin’s surface are broken by an injury.  This causes blood to leak out of the vessels and a bright or dark red, purple or black mark appears.

Every child deserves to have a safe, loving and permanent home.  Children’s Bureau needs foster families who will care specifically for infants and toddlers during the reunification process with their parents.  There are also 114,000 children currently in foster care who are unable to return to their families of origin.  Children’s Bureau is seeking caring families to consider adopting these older children and large sibling sets.  The agency is holding a monthly information meeting for those interested in learning more on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Community Room at the Westfield Valencia Town Center located at 24201 West Valencia Blvd. in Valencia.

Dogs make people happy!  They make people smile.  Who doesn’t love to pet a dog or visit with a cute little puppy?  Pets are not only fun, they have also shown to improve senior citizens’ health, according to the American Animal Health Hospital Association.  Many assisted living communities have begun introducing neighborhood pet therapy programs in their communities, and also allowing seniors to bring their companion pets with them into their new home.

Do you receive medicare benefits?  What about your parents, your grandparents, your spouse?  What if your elderly parent is hospitalized, and the hospital suddenly tells you they are being “discharged.”  And, what if your parent cannot care for themselves, cannot walk, isn’t eating, is weak, what if they have dementia….what will you do?  What can you do?
The process of having a patient leave the hospital is called “discharge planning.”  There are a number of rules that must be followed by the hospital, but unfortunately these rules are often not followed correctly.  Discharge planning is very important – what will happen to the elderly patient once they leave the hospital? 

In 17 years of litigating high conflict divorces, I have seen and heard more than you can imagine.  I have seen lawyers write letters costing $395 per hour over a $40 Halloween costume.  I have seen clients accuse the other parent of “stealing” a plastic Starbucks water bottle because the child left it at the other parent’s house.  I have seen litigants in Court argue to Judges over allocation of $25 in babysitting fees.  You name it, I have seen it.  But I have also seen chiefs of staff of very large hospitals settle their high asset divorce cases in a single six hour mediation session. 

Did you know that adopting a child does not have to be through private agencies?  Many children who come into the foster care system end up needing permanent adoptive homes.  Have you ever given thought to becoming a foster or adoptive parent?  The process is relatively easy, and the need is significantly high.  For those interested or have at least thought about becoming a foster or adoptive parent, the most significant question asked is, “Will I succeed?”  The answer is, “Yes!”

Our Law Firm counsels seniors and their concerned families about important issues.  Often, the senior suffers from dementia/Alzheimer’s, is a stroke victim, experiences frequent falls, or has other health issues.  A common issue:  how does the senior get the care he or she needs, and how can the senior afford the expensive care without outliving their money?  

We all know that the elderly are prone to depression because of life situations including: loss of family and friends, loss of physical abilities or loss of purpose in life (post retirement).  However, one of the greatest causes of depression can be attributed to physiological matters rather than psychological factors.  The “biogenic amine” hypothesizes biochemical derangement.  Imbalances of amino acids, which form compounds called neurotransmitters that transmit information to and from nerve cells.  Antidepressant drugs and amino acids like tryptophan are designed to correct or lessen suspected imbalances in biogenic amines (serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine).

If you are considering filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case in the near future, and you expect a tax refund from the IRS or State Franchise Tax Board, you need to be aware that tax refunds are treated as an asset in Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

USCIS will start accepting application for the new Form I-601A waiver on March 4.  The new waiver process will allow the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens to apply for a provisional unlawful presence waiver right here in the U.S. before their visa interview abroad.  Once approved, they will legally remain in the U.S. and only leave family to attend their immigrant visa interview abroad.

The world has lost a warrior.  On Sunday, February 10, I had the privilege of attending the “Celebration of Life” for Heather Warrick.  After a 19-year battle, Heather finally gave way to Cancer on February 1.  I first met Heather, and her wonderful mom, Nancy Coulter, over a decade ago when I first started Comfort Keepers and became involved in Relay for Life.  Heather was already a larger than life figure in the fight against this awful disease.  The ambassador, if you will, of our local American Cancer Society leading the charge in awareness and fundraising.

Spring is an ideal time to put our legal and financial houses in order.  Here’s some housework you can do without straining your backs or dirtying your hands:

Prepare a current asset and debt summary.  Label and store closed bank records.  Keep open-account records in an Assets File.  For each account, list the address and phone number of the branch, and the name of any account representative.

Failing to File Your Response:   “Well I thought we had agreed on everything” is the typical response when asked the question why a litigant did not file a response.  Typically, any legal case starts with being served a Summons and a Petition (in Family Law).  The party served then has 30 days to file their Response.

One of the often-asked questions by new clients is whether there is an advantage to being the first one to file in a family law case.  There are some advantages in doing so.

The first one that comes to mind is being able to choose the court where your case is filed.  If you live in Santa Clarita, your case can be filed in San Fernando or in downtown Los Angeles.