Divorce & Legal Separation

California is a no-fault state, which means nobody has to prove wrongdoing to end a marriage, but the decisions made in the first ninety days still shape everything that follows. The firm handles dissolution and legal separation from the initial petition through financial disclosures, temporary orders and final judgment, and as of January 2026 can file a joint petition for couples who agree on terms. Executive, high-net-worth, grey and same-sex divorces each bring their own issues, and Tamara has tried all of them.

• Contested & uncontested divorce
• Joint petition for dissolution
• Legal separation & annulment
• Executive & high-net-worth divorce
• Grey divorce (long marriages)
• Same-sex divorce
• Temporary orders & evidentiary hearings
• Private mediation & judging

Child Custody & Visitation

Judges decide custody on the best interest of the child, and the record you build is what proves what that looks like in your family. The firm handles legal and physical custody, parenting plans and timeshare, custody evaluations, and the move-away and interstate cases that turn on jurisdiction as much as facts. Tamara's clients include parents fighting to establish custody, parents defending it, and grandparents stepping in when neither parent can.

• Legal & physical custody
• Parenting plans & timeshare
• Move-away & relocation
• Interstate custody (UCCJEA)
• International & interstate abduction
• Custody evaluations (730)
• Modification of orders
• Grandparents' rights

Child & Spousal Support

Support is a formula until the income isn't simple. Self-employment, bonuses, stock compensation, imputed earnings and above-guideline requests all require real forensic work, and the firm makes sure the numbers the court sees are the right ones. Spousal support turns on the length of the marriage, each spouse's earning capacity, the standard of living during the marriage, and a dozen other factors a judge weighs. When support goes unpaid, the firm enforces it.

• Guideline child support
• Temporary & long-term spousal support
• Self-employment & bonus income
• Imputed income disputes
• Modification & termination
• Enforcement & arrears
• Attorney fee motions

Property & Business Division

Community property is presumed to be split equally, but deciding what is community and what is separate rarely is. The firm traces separate property, values closely held businesses and professional practices, handles real estate and investment portfolios, and pursues reimbursement claims when one spouse's money built the other's asset. When a business is jointly owned, there are options beyond selling it, and the firm walks clients through each one.

• Community vs. separate property
• Business & practice valuation
• Real estate & the family home
• Retirement accounts & QDROs
• Reimbursement claims
• Hidden asset investigation
• Debt allocation

Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements

A well-drafted agreement is an act of clarity, not distrust. California enforces prenups and postnups only when they meet strict requirements around disclosure, timing and independent counsel, and the firm drafts, reviews and, when necessary, challenges agreements with those rules in mind.

• Premarital agreements
• Postnuptial agreements
• Review of a proposed agreement
• Enforcement & challenges

Domestic Violence & Restraining Orders

When safety is at stake, speed matters. The firm obtains emergency protective orders and long-term Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, pursues civil restraining orders where the relationship doesn't qualify as domestic, and defends clients facing accusations that are being used as leverage in a custody fight. Civil contempt proceedings enforce orders the other side ignores.

• Emergency protective orders
• Domestic violence restraining orders
• Civil restraining orders
• Defense against false allegations
• Civil contempt

Paternity

Establishing parentage is the first step to every right and responsibility that follows: custody, visitation and support. The firm represents mothers and fathers in paternity actions, including contested cases requiring genetic testing and cases where a presumed parent's status is in question.

• Establishing parentage
• Contested paternity & DNA testing
• Custody & support following paternity

Guardianship

When a parent cannot care for a child, a guardianship gives a relative or trusted adult the legal authority to step in. The firm handles probate guardianships of the person and the estate, including contested petitions and terminations when a parent is ready to resume care.

• Guardianship of the person
• Guardianship of the estate
• Contested guardianships
• Termination of guardianship

Wills & Trusts

Divorce changes who inherits, who makes medical decisions, and who controls what you leave behind. The firm prepares wills, revocable trusts and the supporting documents clients need to update after a separation or remarriage, and is pursuing specialist certification in estate planning alongside family law.

• Wills
• Revocable living trusts
• Powers of attorney & health care directives
• Post-divorce estate updates