A lot of people change their name in California every year. The process is not complicated and used to be even easier. In the old days, you could change your name by usage (also called a common law name change)- you just had to pick a name and start using it. After a while you […]
The Disruption process or termination of adoption.
The disruption process refers to the termination of an adoption and can occur either before the legal finalization of the adoption or after. Without question most adoptions succeed and adoptive families remain together. However, 10 to 25 percent of adoption disrupt before they are legally finalized and 1 to 10 percent of adoptions are dissolved […]
What are the different ways to adopt?
They are different ways to adopt a child which all show advantages and disadvantages. Here is an overview of a few different types of adoptions. Agency adoptions can be executed by state agencies or private agencies. Private agencies are often charities or social services organizations. In the majority of the cases, the biological parents that have […]
Are you thinking about adoption? A 3-step procedure.
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities, along with affiliation, from the biological parent or parents. Unlike guardianship or other systems designed for the care of the young, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status. Considering adoption means embarking yourself […]
Prenup and Postnup: How to be smart about your marriage.
Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are written contracts executed by a couple before or after they got married to help settle their economic affairs and protect their assets in the event of separation or divorce. Both prenups and postnups have all the elements of all contracts: offer; acceptance; consideration; mutual assent; legality and capacity. In addition […]
Same sex couples: How to deal with child custody in case of separation.
Regarding child custody the law can still be very unfair for same sex parents and that is why it is vital that you try to reach a compromise on all child related matters and try to avoid a custody battle in Court. If you are able to agree on the major issues such as legal […]
Can a same sex marriage spouse sponsor a green card for the non-citizen spouse?
Historically the US Citizenship and Immigration Services insisted that heterosexual marriages were the only ones that counted for immigration purposes meaning that only a heterosexual partner could petition for a green card for their foreign spouses. Since Section 3 of the DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act) was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, the Secretary […]
Same sex marriage: what did the Supreme Court decision change?
On June 26th 2013 the US Supreme Court issued its decision in the United States vs. Windsorcase and radically changed the rights granted to same sex marriages. This decision strikes down the Federal Defense of Marriage Act that states that marriage is defined by the union between a man and a woman. The consequences of this decision […]
What is the real impact of foreclosure and other alternatives on your credit scores?
A foreclosure won’t damage your credit scores forever but will definitely have a serious impact on your ability to obtain another mortgage soon after it happens. Usually the foreclosure will remain on your credit report for seven years but you will have the possibility of obtaining other loans sooner than that depending on which lender […]
California Foreclosure laws: the 2013 Homeowner’s Bill of Rights
California has recently reformed some of the foreclosure process in order to better protect homeowners. One of the most important changes of the law was to ban dual tracking. Before, lenders were allowed to start the proceedings of a foreclosure while a modification of the loan application was pending. Thanks to this new set of […]