The Law Office of Ryan Beiser

  You are facing a divorce or other family law matter, and you want the best of the best to represent you. Makes sense, right? If you take nothing else away from this post, you should know that a high hourly rate and a fancy office do not necessarily equal quality. The age of your attorney is not necessarily a good thing; in fact, it is usually a bad thing in my experience. Frankly, there are better lawyers and firms than mine, but I would like to think they are few and far between. Recently, I performed an experiment expecting one result, but finding something entirely different. I did a Google search for “top divorce lawyer Los Angeles.” Having been in the family law business for 7 years, I know the most elite family law practices in Los Angeles; however, when I performed the search, I found none of them. In fact, Google returned a bunch of lawyers and firms I have never heard of. I suppose the lesson here is that things aren’t always as they appear. So, who are these elite firms?

     It really depends. If you earn or anticipate earning way more money than your partner, then it would likely benefit you to have one. If you are a business owner and you earn or anticipate earning money from the business, then it would likely benefit you to have one. To be frank, if you are the financially dominant partner, you likely are better off having a premarital agreement. Many people are misinformed about community property law in California. Basically , any income earned or assets acquired during marriage are considered community property or quasi-community property and are subject to a 50/50 division. Any assets owned before marriage are generally separate property. Any gifts or inheritances received during the marriage are generally separate property. Believe me, the community property issue is not simple. As an example, if you own a house free and clear going into the marriage, the house is your separate property. If you own a house subject to a mortgage going into th