Santa Cruz Family Law Lawyer, California

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Includes: Collaborative Law, Domestic Violence & Neglect, Paternity, Prenuptial Agreements

John  Thornton Lawyer

John Thornton

Criminal, DUI-DWI, Domestic Violence & Neglect, White Collar Crime, Firearms

With over 30 years of legal experience, Attorney John W. Thornton has represented individuals accused of everything from DUI to homicide. There is tru... (more)

Michael Cougar

Wills, Wills & Probate, Family Law, Corporate
Status:  In Good Standing           

Michael J. MacLellan

Business Organization, Family Law, Wills & Probate, Corporate
Status:  In Good Standing           

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Timothy J. Morgan

Election & Political, Wills & Probate, Estate Planning, Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  51 Years

Andrew C. Janecki

Domestic Violence & Neglect, DUI-DWI, Criminal, Administrative Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  34 Years

Jennifer Jane Gray

Trusts, Gift Taxation, Family Law, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           

Madeleine Boriss

Litigation, Family Law, Divorce & Family Law, Antitrust
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  48 Years

Allison Marie Hardin

Dispute Resolution, Family Law, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           

Emily Jeanne Trexel

Family Law, Elder Law, Litigation, Commercial Real Estate
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  17 Years

Tanya Marie Ridino

Family Law, Elder Law, Contract
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  24 Years

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Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

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Easily find Santa Cruz Family Law Lawyers and Santa Cruz Family Law Firms. For more attorneys, search all Divorce & Family Law areas including Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support and Divorce attorneys.

LEGAL TERMS

PROVOCATION

The act of inciting another person to do a particular thing. In a fault divorce, provocation may constitute a defense to the divorce, preventing it from going t... (more...)
The act of inciting another person to do a particular thing. In a fault divorce, provocation may constitute a defense to the divorce, preventing it from going through. For example, if a wife suing for divorce claims that her husband abandoned her, the husband might defend the suit on the grounds that she provoked the abandonment by driving him out of the house.

ADOPTIVE PARENT

A person who completes all the requirements to legally adopt a child who is not his or her biological child. Generally, any single or married adult who is deter... (more...)
A person who completes all the requirements to legally adopt a child who is not his or her biological child. Generally, any single or married adult who is determined to be a 'fit parent' may adopt a child. Some states have special requirements, such as age or residency criteria. An adoptive parent has all the responsibilities of a biological parent.

FITNESS

The ability of a prospective adoptive parent to provide for the best interests of a child. A court may consider many aspects of the prospective parents' lives i... (more...)
The ability of a prospective adoptive parent to provide for the best interests of a child. A court may consider many aspects of the prospective parents' lives in evaluating their fitness to adopt a child, including financial stability, marital stability, career obligations, other children, physical and mental health and criminal history.

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD

A person who supports and maintains, in one household, one or more people who are closely related to him by blood, marriage or adoption. Under federal income ta... (more...)
A person who supports and maintains, in one household, one or more people who are closely related to him by blood, marriage or adoption. Under federal income tax law, you are eligible for favorable tax treatment as the head of household only if you are unmarried and you manage a household which is the principal residence (for more than half of the year) of dependent children or other dependent relatives. Under bankruptcy homestead and exemption laws, the terms householder and 'head of household' mean the same thing. Examples include a single woman supporting her disabled sister and her own children or a bachelor supporting his parents. Many states consider a single person supporting only himself to be a head of household as well.

CHILD

(1) A son or daughter of any age, sometimes including biological offspring, unborn children, adopted children, stepchildren, foster children and children born o... (more...)
(1) A son or daughter of any age, sometimes including biological offspring, unborn children, adopted children, stepchildren, foster children and children born outside of marriage. (2) A person under an age specified by law, often 14 or 16. For example, state law may require a person to be over the age of 14 to make a valid will, or may define the crime of statutory rape as sex with a person under the age of 16. In this sense, a child can be distinguished from a minor, who is a person under the age of 18 in most states. A person below the specified legal age who is married is often considered an adult rather than a child. See also emancipation.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

A document that authorizes a couple to get married, usually available from the county clerk's office in the state where the marriage will take place. Couples pa... (more...)
A document that authorizes a couple to get married, usually available from the county clerk's office in the state where the marriage will take place. Couples pay a small fee for a marriage license, and must often wait a few days before it is issued. In addition, a few states require a short waiting period--usually not more than a day--between the time the license is issued and the time the marriage may take place. And some states still require blood tests for couples before they will issue a marriage license, though most no longer do.

MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME

An annual income figure for which there are as many families with incomes below that level as there are above that level. The Census Bureau publishes median fam... (more...)
An annual income figure for which there are as many families with incomes below that level as there are above that level. The Census Bureau publishes median family income figures for each state and for different family sizes. A debtor whose current monthly income is higher than the median family income in his or her state must pass the means test in order to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and must commit all disposable income to a five-year repayment plan if filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER (TRO)

An order that tells one person to stop harassing or harming another, issued after the aggrieved party appears before a judge. Once the TRO is issued, the court ... (more...)
An order that tells one person to stop harassing or harming another, issued after the aggrieved party appears before a judge. Once the TRO is issued, the court holds a second hearing where the other side can tell his story and the court can decide whether to make the TRO permanent by issuing an injunction. Although a TRO will often not stop an enraged spouse from acting violently, the police are more willing to intervene if the abused spouse has a TRO.

QMSCO

See Qualified Medical Child Support Order.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

In re Marriage cases

... Herma Hill Kay and Michael S. Wald for Professors of Family Law Scott Altman, R. Richard Banks, Grace Ganz Blumberg, Janet Bowermaster, Carol S. Bruch, Jan C. Costello, Barbara J. Cox, Jay Folberg, Deborah L. Forman, Joan H. Hollinger, Lisa Ikemoto, Courtney G. Joslin ...

Strauss v. Horton

... Courtney G. Joslin and Michael S. Wald for Professors of Family Law Scott Altmann, R. Richard Banks, Sarah Rigdon Bensinger, Grace Ganz Blumberg, 380 Janet Bowermaster, Carol S. Bruch, Patricia A. Cain, Jan C. Costello, Barbara J. Cox, Jay Folberg, Deborah L. Forman ...

In re CC

... & Inst. Code, § 361) [1] denying her visitation and conjoint therapy with her 12-year-old son, CC Since this appeal was filed, the juvenile court has restored monthly monitored visitation through a family law "exit order" and terminated its jurisdiction. ...