Family Law News Monthly

The Court of Appeal sanctioned defense counsel $1,500 and referred him to the State Bar for submitting a brief containing fabricated case citations generated by artificial intelligence. He cited to a non-existent case and misrepresented quotations from actual cases. Read more

FLEXCOM’s ‘No Holds Barred’ seminar in Walnut Creek on October 25, 2025, brought together leaders from across California’s family law community for a day of genuine dialogue, laughter, and reflection. Read more

This year, FLEXCOM is carving a new lane. It is one that unites expertise with advocacy and emphasizes the influence of thought on the law that shapes interpretation and legislation. As Chair for 2025–2026, my vision is to strengthen FLEXCOM’s role as both a thought leader and a unifying force in California family law. Read more

Father appealed Jurisdiction findings under Welfare & Institutions Code (W&I) §300(b) and (g). The Appellate Court focused on the W&I 300(g) basis. A single justified basis is sufficient for jurisdiction. W&I §300(g) is justified when a parent is unable to care for a child and unable to arrange for a child’s care. Father was incarcerated before and during the events and proceedings that required out-of-home care for his daughter. Read more

This opinion was published “as a warning. Simply stated, no brief, pleading, motion, or any other paper filed in any court should contain any citations—whether provided by generative AI or any other source—that the attorney responsible for submitting the pleading has not personally read and verified." Read more

September always feel like a restart button in family law. Clients return from summer schedules with new school-year parenting plan questions, extracurricular costs to reconciles and occasional “back to routine” conflict that needs your intervention. Read more

Father appealed Jurisdiction and Disposition findings because of improper notice and his absence from those hearings (he was incarcerated locally). After multiple failures to transport father, and without objections to father’s final (and denied) continuance request, the court did the Jurisdiction and Disposition hearings. Read more

David Balandran died from COVID-19 in August 2021. His widow Felicia temporarily moved with their daughters to Arizona. Between September 2021 and May 2023, David's parents (Grandparents) saw the children regularly—multiple times monthly in late 2021, with a gap in March-April 2022 when Felicia was in therapy and O.B. began therapy for anxiety, then resuming monthly through October 2022. Read more

As the summer sun sets (on both the beach and our patience for late filings), we’re wrapping up another summer of hard-fought cases, endless paperwork, and steadfast support of your clients. Read more

As this year comes to a close, I have the privilege of reflecting on my time as Chair of the Family Law Executive Committee. Serving in this role has been both an honor and a deeply rewarding experience. Read more