Traditional Representation

Family law litigation is traditionally conducted in the Superior Court of the county in which at least one of the participants resides. Each of the litigants present their positions, usually through counsel, to a Superior Court Judge, usually in open court. The process begins in California with the filing, by one party (the "petitioner") of a petition for dissolution, which, when properly served on the other party (the "respondent"), gives the court jurisdiction to determine the value and character of their property (separate or community), divide, allocate and distribute that property, provide for the support of one of the parties, enforce prior orders and, where there are children, determine the timesharing plan and appropriate child support for their children. The Court can also order one of the parties to contribute to the attorney's fees of the other party if there is a wide disparity of income or as sanctions where there is abuse of the litigation process.

Family law is both dynamic and complex.   A competent family law attorney must know not only the state divorce laws but also state and federal laws in related fields such as tax, property, estates, retirement and insurance. No area of the law has a greater enduring impact on client lives than that of family law.  Representation by an AAML Fellow is representation by one of the most qualified family law attorneys in the country.

AAML Fellows are also in a position to handle less complex cases on a cost-effective basis. Their experience and concentration in family law allow AAML Fellows to manage their law practices very efficiently and to charge reasonable and competitive fees while providing the quality of legal representation.