Top Arbitration and Mediation Services in Carlsbad, CA 92011
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Pre-Paid Legal Services & I.D. Theft Shield
By Law Office of B.E. Rachman and Fair Divorce In A Day Mediation September 04, 2009
I have had Pre Paid and the ID Theft Shield since 2006. I would not consider leaving Pre Paid. I know family law, that is my field. I know nothing of civil, landlord/tenant, criminal, consumer, tax, etc. etc. When I have legal questions, I love having a toll free number to call and never get a bill. ...read more
Law Office of B.E. Rachman and Fair Divorce In A Day Mediation
By Jadestone Technologies LLC March 02, 2009
Thank you for connecting with your solar experts. If you or someone you know is interested in solar please let us know. ...read more
Caligiuri Debra Law & Mediation
By Anonymous August 28, 2008
A horrible waste of time and money. Naive when it comes to abusive relationships and domestic violence. Works the system to benefit herself. Concerned only about billing for her services. She did not perform due diligence. ...read more
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5 Things Divorcing Parents Should Know
When you had your child or children your life changed from being focused on yourself to suddenly having to consider how all your life choices would impact the kids. That is the way it should be. What is in the child's best interest should always be a parent's top priority especially when considering divorce. The first thing you should know is our adversarial legal system is not child focused or family friendly. The emotional and financial price you pay when you each hire separate divorce lawyers is higher than you can now imagine.Before I became a divorce attorney I was a special education teacher. My Masters is in Special Education, focusing on teaching severely emotionally disturbed children, so I came to the law with a powerful bias to act only in the best interest of the children. The 2nd important fact to know is how comfortable so many divorce lawyers are in spending their client's college fund instead of quickly and economically helping the couple to negotiate a fair deal. After 8 years of litigation and witnessing the total financial and emotional devastation of too many families I vowed to no longer take adversarial divorces and to do only divorce mediation. In the following 3 years, after working with over 150 couples with 100% success rate, I am convinced that divorce mediation should be the solution of first resort for 85% of the couples who are contemplating divorce. So the 3rd thing you need to know is there is an alternative to divorce court, mediation.It is easier to deal with a situation when basic information is already known. In the 8 community property states (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin) property division is pretty clear. What ever was totally owned prior to marriage or received by gift or inheritance is separate property that goes to the spouse who owns it. If it was partially paid for using wages or income earned during the marriage, the "community" gains an interest in it that can be calculated. Division of property in community property states is one of the easiest issues to deal with because it is so clear cut. But what about the other 42 states? These states use an equitable distribution system to divide marital property. Each state has its own rules that can be ascertained prior to starting the divorce process. So there is some uncertainty in non community property states but an experienced lawyer/mediator generally knows what the court will do in most situations and can be a valuable guide to couples who are unfamiliar with the laws. The 4th thing to keep in mind is that there is no point in fighting over property division. You can protect your co-parenting relationship and end up with more property if you divide everything the way a neutral 3rd party (mediator) suggests.In litigated divorce cases, child custody and visitation issues can be the most contentious and emotional. If the parents can agree to a custody arrangement, which they eventually do in 90% of custody cases, they can avoid court altogether. Why should a couple wait until they are on the courthouse steps to make a deal? Only 10% of custody cases are litigated. A couple could always seek the services of a child therapist to advise them instead of going to court. The courts typically apply a "best interest of the child" standard in determining who should get primary custody. Wouldn't the parents themselves be in the best position to decide how their children should be raised? When a couple works together in mediation they are in control of the final outcome, not lawyers or judges. When the couple has an intention to effectively co-parent by always keeping the best interest of the child foremost in their mind, they will produce a much more satisfying outcome than if a solution is imposed upon them from above. Child custody issues are the most inappropriate issues to be decided within an adversarial system. The win/lose game that is played in court always results in tension between the parents. Not only will this tension negatively affect the health and happiness of the parents but the children will be caught in the middle of a battle, ducking verbal and emotional bullets as they fly over their heads. The adversarial system does not protect the co-parenting relationship of parents and should be avoided if at all possible. An emotionally vulnerable client in the hands of a "zealous advocate" who is more concerned with enriching themselves than in helping their client is a dangerous combination. The last thing to keep in mind is that avoiding divorce attorneys and court should be the #1 priority if you want to protect your health, spirit, co-parenting relationship and pocketbook. ...read more
By Law Office of B.E. Rachman and Fair Divorce In A Day Mediation September 24, 2007
Read The Latest Newsletter from Law Office of B.E. Rachman and Divorce In A Day Mediation
We've just published a new edition of our newsletter! You can check it out on our website and get the latest information from Law Office of B.E. Rachman and Divorce In A Day Mediation. Let us know what you think! Read It Now Here ...read more
By Law Office of B.E. Rachman and Fair Divorce In A Day Mediation April 05, 2007
Don’t Be Like Anna Nicole Smith and Teri Schivo!!!
If you are like 70% of the population, you don’t have a current will even though 100% of us are going to need one. High profile cases such as Smith and Shivo are good reminders why it is so vital to have a current will that says who you would want to raise your children and what kind of medical care you want if you can no longer communicate your wishes. There is NO reason to create the kind of drama, fighting and expense that we have seen in these two unfortunate situations. The simple solution is to have a will and health care directive. It is the last love letter you leave your family. When I was in law school I was horrified to read all the cases about parents who died in accidents, leaving behind minor children but no directions as to who was to raise them. What almost always happens is that there will be a custody battle between the grandparents which result in such hard feelings that the “winner” cuts the “losing” side of the family out of the children’s lives. Imagine being an orphan and now you have lost your grandmother, grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins on one whole side of the family. If you think about nasty custody battles in divorce cases you can imagine what happens when parents die without a current will. Imagine losing a child and the ONLY connection you have to your dead child is your grandchildren. Each side of the family wants custody and if you don’t have a will the only way custody will be settled is in court. TOTALLY UNNECESSARY!!! As a family law attorney I have seen some really ugly divorces. The LAST thing either side wants is to leave everything they own to their ex but that is what happens when a divorced parent dies. The minor children will not be able to take the life insurance policy, business, house or 1968 Camaro so it follows the child to the surviving parent who gets custody of the children and complete control over the dead parents estate. Wouldn’t you rather have a trusted family member in charge of doling out your money to the children as they need it? I know what you are saying, “I have other more pressing things to spend money on than hiring a lawyer to do my will. I will get around to it later.” I can appreciate not wanting to spend $500 on a will (Consumer Reports says the national average is $500 for a will). So how about an easy solution that will cost a lot less than $500 and give you and your spouse your own wills and updates each year, access to lawyers 24 hours a day, whenever you need one for any reason. From now on when you have a legal question you will have a toll free number for unlimited free consultations. If the lawyer thinks a phone call or letter will solve your problem, they will do that at no extra charge. You will fax them everything BEFORE you sign important documents so YOUR lawyer is protecting your interests. You will have lawyers to represent you for defensible moving violations in and outside of California and if you have teenage drivers, or drive like a teenager yourself, you will want the protection of having a complete defense should you or any family member be changed with vehicular manslaughter or negligent homicide (think of the old man in Santa Monica who ran over those 10 people in the farmer’s market or singer Brandy who just killed someone). As long as there are no drug or alcohol allegations, you have a free defense. NO car insurance covers criminal defense if someone dies in a car accident. You have prepaid hours if you are sued, 50 hours of tax attorney time if you are audited, 25% off attorney fees for uncovered matters and nighttime and weekend emergency access to attorneys within 3 rings, again on a toll free number. What is this amazing thing? Pre Paid Legal insurance. When I saw it I immediately bought it for my family and so can you. For less than a bottle of water a day, you and your family will have the kind of security and peace of mind that has only been available to the wealthy. If you have minor children and no will, act now! Go to www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/brachman ...read more
By Law Office of B.E. Rachman and Fair Divorce In A Day Mediation April 04, 2007