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Spousal support (also known as partner support for registered domestic partners) is money that one spouse pays to help support the other after the filing of a dissolution or legal separation. When a married couple divorces after building a lifestyle together, a court may require the higher earner—whether the husband or the wife— to assist…

Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders (ATRO) advice of the four standard family law restraining orders which start immediately once a dissolution is commenced and restrain the parties from taking certain actions absent a written agreement or a court order. When the Petitioner spouse files the divorce petition, the ATROs bind the Petitioner. When the Respondent spouse…

The California Uber class action (O’Connor v. Uber Technologies, Inc., No. C-13-3826, N.D. Cal.) was in the news again this week when Judge Edward M. Chen allowed California Uber drivers suing Uber for their tips and expenses to do so as a class. This will likely turn out to be a major loss for Uber,…

Parachute kids, the phenomenon of foreign youngsters living apart from their parents for the benefit of an American education, received heightened attention recently due to a violent bullying incident in the Los Angeles suburb of Rowland Heights.[1] While only now receiving popular attention, successful business people and families from all over East, Southeast, and South…

Generally, California workers’ compensation laws are designed to provide certain benefits to employees injured on the job.  Employers are often surprised when they hear that an independent contractor may also be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.  How is this possible?  As an example, a company believes it has done its due diligence by hiring an…